As Red as a Rose
by Nozomi Kajuji
Summary: Princess Leiko has a horrible life. Her parents hate her, among other things. But, one night, a group of pirates decide to raid the castle and kidnap her! What'll happen to her? KuramaXOC Please read and review! COMPLETED. Sequel is out.
1. Kidnapped!

This story is dedicated to my best friend in the whole world; Leiko. (Yes, the protagonist of the story.) Just to let you, the reader, know: My updates will vary. I tend to be random at the lengths. some may be extremely long, others extremely short. Just a warning...

This story was inspired by the song 'My Oh My' - by Aqua.

The name of the story derived from the song 'Roses are Red' - by Aqua.

This is a YYH fanfiction, and I am very proud of finally finishing one of my stories. All rights belong to the creators and the artists that inspired me. I thank them. All yyh characters rightfully belong to the creator.

The plot line, a few of the characters, and a few other things are mine.

All right, not wanting to bore anybody, I will now present to you the first chapter to As Red as a Rose!

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A princess sat, completely bored out of her mind, at her father's long table, sitting to his right. Being the King, he naturally sat at the head of the table. He sat there, laughing heartily, his bulging stomach bouncing as he did so. The princess rolled her eyes in disgust, wishing to be anywhere but there.

"Leiko, dear. Don't slouch; it's bad for your posture." Her mother said with a fake kind smile across the table.

Glaring briefly at her mother, Leiko sat up straight, inhaling her stomach slightly so that she looked even skinnier than she was. "Father?" She asked, having her eyes closed on purpose. "May I be excused?"

"But you've hardly touched your food, Leiko. You should eat more, like me!" The King replied, laughing heartily and loudly.

"I'm afraid that I don't have much of an appetite this evening. Please, excuse me." Bowing slightly, she left the room at a somewhat brisk pace, almost desperate to get away from the noise and fake laughter. She cringed slightly as she heard her father's voice echo, "You'll have to excuse her. She's not the best princess a king could ask for...", followed by his empty laughter.

With tears brimming her eyes, she ran down an empty passageway, her heels clicking against the polished floor. Her dress fluttered against the wind as she ran, showing how desperate she was to get away. She burst into her room and flung herself onto her bed, sobs convulsing her entire body as she cried. The pain and betrayal she felt felt more painful this night than any other, and she hated it. She hated her father, her mother, and all of the servants. They had always hated her. They never knew what she did, or what she had done to help the kingdom.

Roughly wipping the tears from her soft cheek, she walked out onto the elegant balcony, the wind gently caressing her tear-stained face. The sweet scent of the ocean seemed to swirl around her before disappearing. Sighing heavily, Leiko rested her arms against the marble railing as she gazed up into the heavens.

The castle was perched on a cliff, overlooking the harbor, and beyond that, the ocean. There was often a time when leiko needed tome to sort her thought and feelings, so she would walk along the beach bare-footed, enjoying the warm water washing over her delicate feet. She also had a vast collection of sea shells adorning her bedroom.

As the stars twinkled in the sky above, more tears welled up in her light brown eyes.

"Oh, little star... I swish to be taken away from here... I've had enough of this torture... Seeing worthless and abusing men try and ask for my hand in marriage, my parents not showing me any respect... I've had enough... I beg you, take me away! Far, far away! I can't stand it anymore..." She whispered, her head hung as tears dripped onto the hand railing, her hands tightly clenched. Sniffling, she wipped her tears away for the second time that night and looked down towards thew village, wondering about the nightlife down there. However, the princess noticed something that she knew was unusual.

"What is that...?" She murmured, leaning forward on the railing so that she could try and see better in the darkness.

What appeared to be a small spheres of fire were rapidly moving up the main street in the village and towards the castle. The sound of horses' hooves pounding into the river stone street reached the princess's ears. She heard wild cheering and such. Feeling a sudden panic rise in the pit of her stomach, she quickly looked to the harbor and saw a massive ship. At the top fluttered a flag. Using just a glimpse of moonlight, Leiko knew who those men were; pirates.

Reacting quickly, she gathered up the front of her dress and ran out of her room and towards the dining hall, needing to tell her parents that pirates were coming to raid the castle. Bursting throigh the doors, she skidded to a halt, surprised to find the hall entirely empty and clean.

"That's odd... I left just a few moments ago... How could it be this empty so suddenly?"

A distant boom caught her attention suddenly. There was a moments' silence after that, then something crashed into the side of the solid stone castle, knocking her off her feet and crashing into a wall, knocking her out.

when she came to, there were se rvants screaming and running to and fro. One of them came over to her and knelt down next to her.

"Princess! Are you okay? What happened?"

Leiko groaned, then somehow managed to get up with the servants' help. She swayed slightly on her foot, but managed to stay up. Glancing about, she saw the castle falling to pieces around her. Distant booms were followed by another black ball smashing into the castle.

"where's my father?" She asked, her right hand clutching her head, trying to get it to stop spinning.

"Unfortunately, I don't know where the King and Queen are... But, I do know that they are safe."

Another part of the ceiling came crashing down. leiko raised her arms and crossed them over her face to protect it from any debris.

"Princess, you've got to get out of here! it's not safe!"

Before she could say anything, the door leading into the dining hall fell to the floor with a blast. Through the smoke that suddenly filled the room, piraates rushed in, large swords and knives in their hands. Leiko protected her face with the same crossing motion to try and protect the debris of pieces of the door that had flown through the air, and also due to the think dark smoke.

One of the pirates, in cover of the smoke, ran over to the servant near the princess, punched him across the face with the golden hilt of his sword, knocked him out, then grabbed the princess's arms. Letting out a surprised gasp, she quickly glanced back at the man who had her wrists to see him give a wicked smile, before a burlap sack covered her head and blocked out any other sight. her hands were tied, as well as her ankles. Being thrown over a man's shoulders, she gasped slightly as she felt the man running now.

"Fall back! Head back to the ship!" A man yelled over the chaos.

The rapid footsteps of the pirates retreating followed until the castle was left in a deathly silence. In the harbor, the ship was pulling away and disappearing into the horizon as the sun began to rise. As everyone in the castle rejoiced that no one was harmed, they had yet to realize that the princess was gone.

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I hope you liked it, and will review. Please, read one chapter at a time and review. It helps me work on my writing better. Well, the next chapter will be up, hopefully, by the end of the day. Thank you for reading! ^_^


	2. Hunger

Here's Chapter 2 to As Red as a Rose. Hope you like it!

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With her head swirling, the princess fianlly came-to again, not knowing when it was that she had been knocked out, or had fallen asleep. She slowly opened her eys, but found that the burlap sack was still covering her face. As she tried to movce, she realized that she couldn't move anything but neck and head. Hearing men's voices surroundding her, she stopped her fidgetting, not knowing what to expect, and yet trying to keep an open mind.

The burlap sack was removed suddenly, blinding Leiko temporarily. She had turned her head slightly, trying to hide away from the light, but due to her hands being tied to the main mast, she could not. There was hooting laughter and cheers coming from all around her, causing her head ache to grow bigger as she felt a slow upwards and downwards motion. She slowly opened her eyes and found that she was on s ship, surrounded by male pirates.

"'ey! She's awake!" one cried, causing more cheering from the men.

"Yeah, she's a pretty un' too!" Another saidm grabbing Leiko by the chin and moving her head side to side to get a good look at her.

She moved her head out of his grasp, glaring coldly at them all. "Don't touch me, you filthy sea rat!" She growled, not able to help herself.

One of the reasons why the royal family pretty much hated Leiko was due to her hot temper. She was found doing things that were not so princess like, such as picking fights with boys, beating other people up that enraged her to the point of doing so, and other things. However, she still managed to stay free from any man's grasp.

"Oooh...fiesty. I like that in a woman..." he grabbed her again and forced her to look at him once again, this time so close that she could smell salt.

Nobody noticed the boot steps that had been heading towards the group of men surrounding their captive. The man watched curiously, watching her reactions, and the reactions of his comrades.

Struggling against her bindings, Leiko wanted nothing more but to get away from here and go back home. Even if she was hated, she knew that they would leave her alone. Not like these men, who wanted more thant o just look at her. Another of the men grabbed her chin roughly. Moving her head roughly out of the way, she quickly bit his hand. A completely sour taste flooded her mouth, causing it to go completely dry. The man cried out in pain and surprise, not expecting that of the princess. She quickly let go, desperate to get that salty taste out of her mouth. The man raised a hand to hit her, causing a look of fear to cross the princess's face. Just as he was about to hit her, another hand grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

Whirling around to see who had dared to stop him, the man soon grew pale. "Boss!"

"have you no manners? That is no way to treat a lady." The boss turned bright emerald green eyes onto the princess. "Right?

She didn't reply, but merely stared back at him, surprised to even see someone like him on the seas. He had long, flaming red hair tied in a low pony tail and a red bandana tied onto the top of his head, although not covering everything. It allowed his bangs to hang out. He didn't wear an eye patch, nor did he appear to have any scars on his arms or face. He wore a torn and weathered white sleeveless shirt with a black un-buttoned vest hanging loosely over it. His pants were black and jagged at the bottom, but covering quite a lot nonetheless. He wore heavy black boots that seemed to be highly resilient to damage. A golden hilted sword hung around his slender waist and clattered as he moved about.

He forced the man's arm down and turned back to the princess. Unsheathing his sword, he cut the ropes in a swift motion, releasing her from her bindings. Stumbling forward at the sudden release, Leiko managed to get her footing and turned around, her nerves on edge in case anything happened.

"Calm yourself, for I am not going to hurt you." The man continued, re-sheathing his golden-hilted sword.

Leiko cast him an uneasy look, one that showed that she mistrusted him, not to mention the other pirates aroudn them.

"Where am I? And, who are you?"

"My name is kurama, and these are my men."

A smirk flashed across Leiko's face, but she said nothing, trying to control herself from laughing at the dirty thought that had just flashed in her mind. Kurama noticed, for his eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"What is on your mind, princess Leiko?"

She suddenly felt flustered as he said her name. it had a certain ring to it when he said it;different from anyone else. Internally shaking her head, she got back on topic.

"How do you know my name?"

"Answer my question first, if you please. We wouldn't want anything happening to you, now would we?" He replied coldly, unsheathing his sword slightly as he glared at her.

Leiko suddenly smirked. "I thought that you had a certain...relationship, with your men. Do you have a problem with what I think, or do I have to censor that too?"

In an instant Kurama had slapped the insolent princess, knocking her to the ground, holding the left side of her gentle face. Holding the left side with her delicate hand, Leiko looked up at the man who had dared to slap her. She flinched when he grabbed the front of her dress and lifted her to her feet. She looked away so that she wouldn't see the anger and hatred she saw in his eyes as he glared at her.

"You dare insult me on my own ship? You are my hostage, so you8 listen to me. Your life depends on my likeness of you, and so far, it has yet to even start the high climb to the top. you'd better do as I say, or your life is forfeit." he tossed her easily to his gang of pirate men. "Tie her back up. We woudn't want her escaping, now would we?" A smirk appeared on his face. "And if we catch her trying to escape, she may as well pay for it with her body."

A series of hoots and jeering erupted from the crew as they roughly pressed her against the main mast and tied her up once more.

"You're not going to get away with this!" Leiko cried, her anger building up from the pit of her stomach.

Kurama walked up to her and got in her face. "Have I not already? No one has come after us, and it has been 3 days now. I'm afraid no one is looking for you, your higness. You'd better get used to that thought." He pulled a knife out of his boot and pressed its cold blade against her thin neck as he got so close she could have kissed him, not that she wanted to. "Or do you have a problem with that as well?"

Leiko turned her head away, not wanting to see within those luminous green eyes. She felt a strange mixture of anger and sadness as she realized that, since they hated her, no one would come after her. she fought back the tears, not wanting to allow the boss to catch her at her weakest. As the feeling to cry overtook her whole body, she felt her tense muscles weaken. Satisfied with his work, Kurama removed the knife from her throat and walked off, shouting orders to the crew.

Leiko stood, her head hung and her eyes closed, tied to the main mast of the ship. her stomach rumbled quietly, waking the sleeping princess from her restless sleep. lifting her head slightly, her now damp and damaged hair matted to her head and hanging in thick layers, she saw the vast sea espanding ahead of her. Sighing heavily, she hung her head once aagain, not knowing what else to do.

_'What am I gunna do now? I know I can escape, but I don't want any of those men to even touch me, let alone have their way with me.... And that man...Kurama... He's up to something. A pirate who knows my name is definitely something to worry about...' _Her stomach growled yet again, only this time a little louder. She groaned inwardly, although some of the noise escaped her dry lips._ 'Shut up, stomach... They won't feed me...'_

"Oi! here's your breakfast!" A man shouted above the crashing of the waves against the wooden ship. He brought over a plate of what appeared to be cooked fish. It was probably salmon, or something.

Leiko looked down at her bindings, then at the plate of food with longing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kurama leaning agaisnt the railing hear the helm of the ship. She turned her head enough so that he could see her glaring at him before she turned back to glare at the man offering her food.

"I'm not going to eat that filth! Besides, even if I wanted to eat it, I couldn't because your boss tied me here!" Her anger had rekindled and was boiling away the traces of hunger she felt.

The man glared at her, then turned to his boss and shrugged before walking away. The anger soon left, leaving her feeling even hungrier than before.

"Oh... Damn it, shut up! There's no way that I'm..."

"Talking to yourself? You are truly amusing."

Leiko looked up to see Kurama standing in front of her, arms crossed with an emotionless expression on his face. Her eyes narrowed as she turned her head away, although she couldn't help but blush as her stomach growled again, louder still, complaining at the lack of food.

"Augh...how I wish I'd eaten before these creeps kidnapped me..." She murmured, mostly to herself than anyone else.

"Eating before getting on a ship at sea could make anyone not used to the sea feel sick."

Leiko turned back to him, her eyes tired, but alert. "I don't have the patience to deal with you... Go play with your men or something, just leave me alone..." She felt herself drifting off and away from the ship, towards a darkness that seemed more welcoming than anything that was currently happening.

Anger flashed on Kurama's face for a moment, but he pushed it meaninglessly aside. Walking forward, he cupped her chin and lifted her face towards his. Studying it for a few minutes, seeing as how she was barely responding anymore, he snapped his fingers, bringing it to attention to a few of his men.

"Bring me some whiskey."

After a few moments, a large well-built man with bronze skin came forward, bringing the bottle of whiskey with him. Getting a good grip on the whiskey jug, Kurama gently lefted Leiko's chin and poured the whiskey into her dry mouth and down her throat. He soon left her be, and soon enough, within a few moments, Leiko was breathing noticeablt once again. She weakly opened her eyes, but the tiredness had finalyl caught up with her, thus causing her to finally get a good sleep.

A few of the men, seeing her body go limp once again, rushed forward sligtly, fearing for her life as much as theirs. Outstretching his arm, Kurama stopped them.

"No, leave her be. She is merely sleeping." He turned back to his men. "Get back to work. My map tells me that there's an island not too far frmo here. we could dock and have our fill of what it has to offer, then we shall set sail for Nacar Island."

"Yes, sir!"

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And that's the end of Chapter 2! Hope you guys liked it! ^_^ Please read review and tell me how you like it! (Again, I do not own anything!)


	3. Escape!

All right, this is Chapter 3! Quite a long chapter. -sighs- Anyways, let's get back on topic. Enjoy the new chapter! ^_^

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--The Next Day (It's night time)

Leiko groaned as she felt the rocking of the boat. The pirate crew had decided to go to town, and had docked on some island. Feeling her stomach attempting to jump into her throat, she held her breath, hoping that that would help her to not throw up.

"Those bastards...leaving me here...tied up..." She held her breath again, hoping it would work again. Hearing her stomach growl loudly, she couldn't help but groan once again. "Those bastards... Hey, what's that?" She asked aloud, catching something gleaming out of the side of her eye. A small knife lay next to her, glinting in the moonlight. Blinking at how obvious it was and felt, she suddenly smirked, grasping her chance at escaping.

--A few minutes later...

"Almost...got it..." She murmured, struggling within her binds at cutting the last piece of rope. It proved to be the most difficult because it was the one that kept the other parts of the rope held together tightly. With a final snap, the ropes binding the princess fell to the floor with a dull thud, echoing slightly over the waves.

Stretching her aching muscles, she glanced about, making sure that there was no one around.

"I feel like some sort of spy..." She murmured amusedly to herself, peeking over the railing and staring about the town. She frowned, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Hmph. What a disgrace. This town is where a bunch of whores gather, or so it seems." After a moment's pause, Leiko smirked before hopping over the edge and landing somewhat lightly on her feet. "I wonder if the captain is having himself a good time." She shook her head vigorously. "Why do I care about that pig? He's nothing but a nuisance! Humph!" She bolted into the shadows and gradually made her way into town, keeping an eye out for others.

Surprisingly, there were no pedestrians on the streets to see her, not unless they looked outside. Everyone seemed to be inside their homes, or doing their business in some disgusting location that the princess didn't exactly want to think about too much. Getting down on her hands and knees, she was passing under a window to the local bar in town when something caught her attention and she stopped.

"Hey! Kurama! Check out this broad! I think this little lady likes you!" A man called from somewhere within the bar.

"I can see that. But, you take her. You seem to like her far more." She heard Kurama reply, much closer to her than she thought. Backing up slightly to where she was underneath the edge of the window pane, she peeked up, then quickly ducked back down, cursing herself slightly. Kurama was sitting right at that window, drinking something. He had his head turned slightly, but she could have sworn that he had seen her. Glancing around quickly, she crawled backwards a little more, out of sight of all the people who may look out of the window as possible before getting up and going into the alley way.

The darkness swallowed her, and she felt a pang of fear and annoyance as she pressed her back against the cold wooden wall. She could have sworn that she felt things moving underneath her back, and a shiver convulsed her body. Boot steps on the portch of the bar caught her attention suddenly, bringing her away from the fast that there were insects and other mutated things in the alleyway with her. Almost as soon as they had started, they soon stopped.

Kurama stood on the porch, staring up at the moon, his captain's hat pushed back slightly so that he could see the moon clearly. The wind gently caressed his face and moved his hair. His eyes and ears were completely open to all the sounds that were there. From the skittering of the rats in the sewers, to the crashing of the waves on the shoreline; he heard it all.

"Oi! Boss! I got another one for you!" A man called from within, causing him to look over his shoulders at the semi-closed door.

His emerald green eyes flashed secretly as his vision swept over everything in sight, including the shadows. The main reason he had come out in the first place was because some type of movement just outside his window had caught his attention and he had come to investigate it. That, and the fact that he needed a breather from the chaos inside. With a small and pensive 'hm', he began heading back inside, opening the door to the inside of the bar, his boot steps echoing off of the wooden porch.

Leiko gave a sigh of relied as she heard the boot steps retreating once again to the bar door, then quickly caught her breath, realizing she had just made a sound. Kurama, having just about re-entered the bar, heard something come clearly from the shadows near the bar itself. His emerald eyes flashed as an awkward silence settled over the area. He closed the door heavily, making it sound as if he had re-entered the bar. Instead, he slowly and quietly made his way over to the alleyway, watching and listening very carefully.

After a few moments of silence, Leiko let out a small sigh of relief. "I thought for sure that he would catch me... Thank goodness..."

Kurama smirked, amused by the princess's antics. He was curently standing near the alleyway, close enough to hear the movement from within, yet far enough so that no one would see him near. He had stepped off of the wooden porch and was currently leaning agianst the bar walls, arms crossed, waiting patiently. Luckily for him, the moon was facing him, thus causing his shadow to show in the opposite direction, away from the alley way, thus causing Leiko to be completely unaware of her situation. He heard slight rustling, realizing that she must be about to try and move again.

Standing up straight a few feet from the wall, and still with his arms crossed, he smirked even more, his amusement rising. Peeking her head out of the alley way, she looked left first, then right, then gasped. She quickly re-hid herself, although she knew it was useless. She cursed herself for thinking he was stupid.

"There's no use hiding if I already know you're there, my dear Leiko."

Groaning quietly, Leiko slowly made her way out of the alley way, both relief and reluctance washing over her. Glaring at him, she said nothing, not knowing what to say.

Turning his back to her suddenly, he could feel her surprise. Glancing over his shoulder, still with a smirk on his face, Kurama said, "I'll give you a head start. If you manage to get away, we'll let you live free. But, if we capture you again, you'll have to pay the consequences." With that said, he re-entered the bar, leaving Leiko in silence.

Panic suddenly washed over her, and she began to run down the street, her heels clicking dully, yet loudly, echoing off the walls. Desperation shone on her face as she tried to find a suitable place for her to hide.

As the door swung close behind him, Kurama drew his sword, the smirk still on his face. All eyes were on him suddenly. "Boys, let's catch ourselves a captive."

Cheering erupted from his fellow pirates and they all, except Kurama, ran out of the door, chasing after the clearly visible princess, running down the street. Kurama followed at a slower pace, cutting through a few paths and alleyways, the smirk of amusement still splattered clearly all over his handsome face.

Running around a corner, Leiko paused, panting heavily for breath.

_'Damn it! How am I supposed to hide if they're chasing me!? I can't get there fast enough!'_ She glared down at her dress that she had been wearing for the past few days now. _'This stupid dress is what's keeping me from running my fullest! That, and my shoes!'_ An idea struck her suddenly. _'Wait! My shoes! That's it!'_

Coming out of her temporary hiding place suddenly, she quickly took off her high heeled shoes and threw them, with amazing accuracy, at the charging pirates. They both smacked the leading pirates in the face, causing them to topple over and trip the other pirates, causing all of them to collapse amongst each other.

Laughing slightly at their little fall, Leiko turned to run again, only to bump into Kurama's chest. Using his quick intellect and her disorientation to his advantage, Kurama quickly grabbed her wrists and turned her around, pressing his chest against her back.

"It would appear as if you've been caught, my dear."

Struggling against him, she couldn't help but groan slightly. "Damn it all! How dare you kidnap me in the first place! What the hell did I ever do to you?! Let me go!" She cried, yelling a few random tings involuntarily.

Ignoring her questions, Kurama quickly wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up and put her on his left shoulder. This caused Leiko to both blush and struggle even more. Turning to his men, still keeping a secure arm around her slender waist, he called to his men.

"We're heading back to the ship. We're leaving. Bring supplies and let's go." With that said, he turned and left, Leiko punching away into his back, although it seemed as if he didn't feel any of it.

--Later

"Let go of me, you low life! Let go, I said!" Leiko screamed, struggling against the strong hold Kurama had on her wrists.

Ignoring her, he practically dragged her up the ramp back onto the ship. All the while, Leiko tried with all her might to get him to release her wrists, but to no avail. Dragging her to the middle of the ship, Kurama pulled her towards him, then pushed her away, causing her to fall to the wooden deck. The other pirates crowded around behind their captain, all snickering at the fallen princess. Sprawled out on the deck, Leiko slowly sat up, looking up at Kurama with big, fearful eyes. Her whole body shook with fear as he slowly unsheathed his golden hilted sword.

His eyes were narrow as he spoke. "Princess Leiko, you have failed to escape, and thus causes you to face the consequesnces. Are you ready for your punishment?"

She didn't reply, too caught up in her fear to do or say anything. _'What's he gunna do to me? Rape me? No! I'm waiting for that special someone! I can't be raped! Well, I can, but I dun wanna! What am I gunna do!?'_

"Very well then." He said softly, then placed the tip of the sword underneath her chin, raising it slightly.

_'He's gunna slit my throat?! NO!'_

Kurama guided the blade and carefully sliced off the princess's sleeves. He then cut the stomach area of the dress, causing it to sag around her shoulders. Smirking as he continued, Kurama then made a big diagonal slash across the princess's legs, causing the dress to show her legs underneath. Re-sheathing his sword, satisfied with his work, he turned to his men.

"Bring new rope, and a whip. We will make this girl pay the price for trying to run away."

"Aye, captain!"

After a few moments, a few pirates returned, carrying a few other items in their arms, along with what their boss had asked for. Stooping down, Kurama grabbed a hold of Leiko's right wrist and hauled her to her feet, causing her to cry out in pain as he did so. Shoving her against the pole, he went around it, wrapped her arms around the pole, and tied her hands with the rope his men had brought. With her body pressed tightly up against the pole, the other men stared hungrily, wanting her so very badly. Walking back around, Kurama took the whip in hand and faced Leiko's back, a smirk clear on his face.

"Before I begin the first part of the punishment," He turned to his men. "Ship us out. I don't want the townspeople to be interrupted by her sreaming."

Snickering, the other pirates went to work in getting them out to sea. Unfurling the main sail, they soon found themselves on their way. While Kurama stood in the center of his ship, his narrowed eyes glaring hungrily at Leiko's back, the smirk still on his face, Leiko attempting to get herself free once again. She tried as hard as she could, but found that, without any room to move her arms, she wasn't going to be able to escape. All she did manage to do was make her upper arms raw from rubbing against the main pole in her attempts to escape.

"We're far enough from the city, captain!" A man shouted from the Crow's Nest, a telescope in his left hand.

"Excellent." Kurama murmured, with and evil smirk, his emerald green eyes landing on Leiko's back. He raised the arm in which the whip was in. "Brace yourself, princess." With that said, he struck her, causing her to cry out in excruciating pain. Tears were brought to her eyes as she screamed from the blows, the stinging pain flooding her entire body. With her eyes tightly closed, she could only hug the mast, hoping that it would be over with soon.

"29....30." Kurama counted, stopping his hitting. He took a deep breath as he lowered the whip. His eyes raised themselves to glance at her back, but his smirk soon faded. Her back was now bloody, thin white marks showing where the whip had made contact with her skin. Her sobs rang over the ocean, showing how hurt she was. That wasn't what tugged on his heart strings though. Before he had even struck her, he knew that he shouldn't have done anything. Shaking his head slightly, he turned his now cold gaze to his men once again.

"What are you waiting for? Cut the ties."

"What do we do with her then, boss?"

"Just leave her be, for the time." He replied, already retreating to his quarters. With the slam of a door, he was out of sight.

Shrugging at each other, one of the muscular men cut the soaking wet ropes with a swift swing of his blade. Leiko slumped to the floor on her knees, tears pouring down her face. The excruciating pain emanating from her back proven to be too much for her to currently handle, thus causing her to sob uncontrollably, not able to contain herself.

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And that's the end of Chapter 3, folks! I hope you liked it! I'm going back to Florida today, so I won't have time to 'update' this thing again for a while. Maybe later on this week, but not in the next few days. For my readers out there, please review! I don't like updating to a story that only has the one person this story is dedacated to reviewing! It saddens me greatly... Anyway, hope you're looking forward to the next one! See ya!


	4. Shock

Yes, I know this is, so far, the shortest chapter. It's still quite a shocker, though. Hehehe... You'll have to read and find out! ^_^ Hope you enjoy Chapter 4!

Although I posted this in the first one, I feel as if I need to repeat myself, just to be safe.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, or any of it's characters. I do not own Leiko, either. This character belongs to a good friend of mine, whom this story is about.

Enjoy!

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--A few days later

After her sobbing spell, and once her back had finished healing, they tied her back up to the main mast, none of the pirates saying a word. Surprisingly, she did not object. The only thing, apart from her limp body, that kept the men at bay was her death glare. She neither ate nor drank what they offered her, causing them to give up after a while.

Her skin had already begun to tighten from the lack of nutrition and water. Her mouth and throat were bone-dry, and her insides growled hollowly, eating away at whatever she had left. Her eyes had heavily darkened circles underneath them. Mixed up with her death glare, they gave her an extremely scary complex. The only one that dared go near her was Kurama, who found all of this amusing.

"Princess Leiko, are you trying to get back at me by trying to starve yourself?" He gave a mocking laugh, causing Leiko's eyes to narrow ever so slightly. "You will eat, and you will suffer."

"Why should I suffer…?" She said quietly, her voice straining due to the severe dehydration issue she was currently facing. She looked up into his emerald green eyes. "Why should I suffer…when you're the one who's done nothing but torment me right from the beginning...? What is it that I have done that is so bad that has caused you to hate me? I've done nothing wrong…" Her voice cracked loudly, causing her to fall deathly silent, having forced her throat too much for one day.

Kurama's eyes narrowed sharply, his expression dark. Leiko looked up at him with hollow eyes, no longer feeling much of anything. Taking two strides forward, Kurama closed the space between him and the emotionless Leiko. Grabbing her throat, he straightened it slightly, glaring coldly into her chocolate brown eyes.

"You want to know what you did? Do you really want to know?" No response except for her vacant glare. "Your father stole my father's land, that's what you did! My father was the kindest of all kings, and those who were greedy ended up stabbing him in the back!" He tightened his hold around her neck. "Your father kicked my father off of his throne! Exiled him from ever returning to his own land! He was forced to take me and my mother to a small island away from everyone, living in complete shame!"

Some life seemed to come back into Leiko's eyes at this. Blinking, she stared at him. "Then that would make you…"

"Yes, that would make me a prince." He snarled, letting go of her throat and stalking away. Walking up the stairs, he slammed the door shut to his quarters, sending a small quake through the whole ship.

An uneasy silence settled over the ship. It was so intense that it seemed even the waves were silenced momentarily. After a few moments, the crew of pirate men went back to work in either fixing, or adjusting the ship; along with eating and singing merrily.

Leiko hung her head again, not seeing the point in holding it up any more. She sighed. "You fat bastard… Were you really that greedy that you kicked somebody off of his own land to get what you wanted?" She looked up at the endless blue sky. "No wonder I always hated you… You always put on such a fake act…" Anger swelled up from somewhere in her body suddenly. It fueled her whole body, causing her to want to scream. "YOU FAT BASTARD! I HOPE YOU GET TOO FAT AND DIE!" She suddenly yelled, startling the men and causing Kurama to look out of one of his windows at her. She gave him a slight glare before looking out further at sea, her mind lost in la-la land.

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And that's the end of Chapter 4. Yes, yes, I know it's too short! That's why you get to read chapter 5 next! Anyway, hope you enjoyed that little...filling, update. Please R&R!


	5. The Storm

This is it! Chapter 5! I personally love how I wrote this chapter... I guess you could call it a writer's accomplishment, or something. Anyway, I hope you really enjoy this chapter! ^_^

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, nor do I own Leiko.

Thanks, and Enjoy!

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--Later that night

Leiko had fallen asleep tied to the mast, a bit of drool coming out of the left side of her mouth. She was finally having a good sleep after all this time, when a wave suddenly smashed into the side of the ship, waking the princess up from her peaceful slumber. She looked about wildly, wondering what in the world was happening.

Men frantically ran about, securing their life lines, among other things. Kurama opened the door quickly and rushed out, not forgetting to close the door before he left. Grabbing a rope, he stood at the deck of the ship.

"Satoshi! What's happening?"

"It's a storm, captain! And by the looks of them waves, an awful nasty one!"

Jumping down, still holding onto the rope he had grabbed earlier, he cupped his right hand to his mouth, shouting orders. "Secure all sails! I repeat; SECURE ALL SAILS!" He ran over to the main mast where Leiko was still tied. Another wave smashed into the side of the ship, knocking him off of his feet. Using the rope as leverage, he pulled himself to his feet and finished making his way over to Leiko, who closed her eyes as another wave crashed into the side of the ship, splashing ice cold sea water onto her face.

Unsheathing his sword, Kurama quickly cut the ropes in one swing, releasing her. Out of the corner of his eye, and using the lightning streaking across the black sky, he saw a huge wave heading their way.

"Grab on to something, boys!" He shouted, before quickly re sheathing his sword and, grabbing Leiko from behind, grabbed the main mast, hugging both it and the princess.

The wave came down upon the ship, splintering the rails and making the deck even more slippery. Leiko closed her eyes tightly and held her breath, ignoring the fact that Kurama was currently protecting her by hugging her from behind, along with the mast. As the water crashed down around them, she could feel the salty water enter her ears, then drip back out. Her whole body was completely drenched, besides the fact that it was raining harder and faster now. The water soon washed off as the ship rocked with the smaller waves, almost completely at their mercy.

As the wave passed, Kurama loosened his grip slightly, but not entirely. He made sure there were no more monstrous waves before fully releasing Leiko and running about the deck, shouting orders. Leiko slumped to the floor, still hugging the mast as more waves seemed to hit the side of the ship at a faster rate. She looked about, fear clearly visible on her face. And yet, there was also a strange mix of excitement showing as well.

Kurama ran past her, stopping just a few feet away from her. "Sai! Do you see any more of those waves?"

"No, captain! But there are a bunch of middle sized ones that are heading our way!"

"That's fine! We can survive those!" He noticed Leiko just sitting there, hugging the mast tightly whilst looking about. Her eyes landed on him. "What are you doing?! Get downstairs, where it's safe!"

"No way!" Leiko shouted back over the roar of the raging storm. "I think it's better up here!"

There was a flash of a smirk on his face before another wave hit the other side of the ship, almost knocking him off of his feet. He gave one last glance at Leiko, making sure that she was momentarily fine, before running off to help his crew. There was one that was near Leiko, who was trying to untangle a piece of rope when another wave hit. He grabbed the rail for support, then continued what he was doing, not really paying attention. Having gotten used to the usual rocking of the ocean by now, Leiko unsteadily got to her feet, not daring to let go of the mast. She glanced about, but her gaze once more fell upon the man from earlier. He appeared much older than the others, and had wrinkled hands. She didn't know if it was from too much water, or if he really was that old. Just then, a giant wave appeared out of no where, heading straight for the ship.

"LOOK OUT! EVERYONE! GRAB ONTO SOMETHING!" Kurama roared, tying himself to a part of the railing near the head of the ship.

Leiko grabbed the main mast tighter, and was about to close her eyes when she noticed that the older man hadn't heard. Just then, the wave hit, flooding the ship once more with water. It swished about, knocking the crew about. It also uplifted the older man and was dragging him off of the ship.

Kurama, having been looking in that direction, shouted, "NO! BROM!"

Without thinking, Leiko released her hold of the mast and, using the power of the water, jumped over the railing and grabbed a hold of Brom with her left hand, while grabbing onto a soaking rope with the other. Gritting her teeth, she looked back down at the guy she just saved.

"You okay?!"

"Yeah! Thanks a lot!" He called back, fear and relief mixed on his old and wrinkled face.

Kurama ran over the deck and looked over the railing. Leiko looked back up at him, not able to keep the strain hidden. Due to the rope being completely soaked by sea water, plus the rain heavily falling down from the heavens, her hand began to slip. Fear suddenly flashed across her face. Her hand suddenly slipped completely, not able to get a grip, but caught one a few inches later, nearing the end of the rope.

"Hold on! We'll pull you up!" Kurama called down to them, his blood pounding through his veins.

"Hurry up! I can't hang on for much longer!" She cried, trying to ignore her screaming muscles.

Another rope was thrown down to hang right next to her. "Try and lift Brom up to the next one!" A different man from the crew shouted.

"I can't! I can barely even move!" She called back, gritting her teeth in pain.

Kurama watched this, then turned to his crew. "Men, we're going to pull them up. Unravel the rope and get in a line, we're bringing them back to safety."

"Aye-aye!"

Following his orders, the crew began pulling on the rope, slowly dragging Leiko and Brom back up towards the ship, and away from the raging sea below. Kurama stood at the railing, watching their progress. His keen eyes suddenly turned to the rope, sensing something was wrong. The rope was beginning to tear at one point. He estimated that once it reached the edge of the railing, it would snap, sending Leiko and Brom to their death in the black water below. As his men continued pulling, Kurama ran over to the rope and grabbed it just as it snapped, causing Leiko to slip a little more. Using the railing as leverage, he pushed back using his left arm while his right was holding the wet rope over the edge of the railing, determined not to let them go.

Dropping what now useless rope they had, the crew rushed over to help their captain, knowing he alone could not pull them up. The strongest grabbed the rope just below where Kurama was holding it, and slowly but surely, brought Leiko and Brom back on board. Leiko lay, panting heavily, sprawled out on the deck. She could feel her arms pulsing in pain, her arms stretched beyond the limit they were used to. Brom sat next to her, massaging his right arm. He looked at her strangely, as if he couldn't believe what she had done.

Kurama approached the two of them, his hands on his hips (in a masculine way). Brom looked up at him and quickly stood up and bowed, grateful to his captain and crew.

"Thank you so much, captain!" He said happily, standing straight again with a broad smile.

Kurama merely nodded, his gaze on Leiko.

"Ow…ow…ow…" She said quietly each time her arms pulsated. Her eyes were shut, her breath coming in and out fairly quickly.

"You surprise me." Kurama said suddenly, watching her closely.

Leiko's eyes fluttered open, looking tiredly at him. "I tend to do that to a lot of people…" She murmured, blinking slowly. Using her tired arms, she tried to sit up, but to no avail.

Kneeling down next to her, Kurama slowly and carefully helped her sit. He took her right arm in his hands, examining the damage. Standing up, he helped her to her feet.

"Men, we have made it through this storm." He pointed at Satoshi. "Satoshi, head a course for the next island. We need to make repairs." He turned to Leiko, who looked completely exhausted. She swayed with the ship, and appeared as if she would fall at any minute. As if on cue, Leiko closed her eyes and fainted, her energy completely spent. Kurama caught her gently in his arms, a small smile on his face.

"Thank you, Leiko…" With that said, he took her completely into his arms and carried her to his quarters.

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That's the end of Chapter 5! I hope you liked it! Now, don't forget to review, ok? It'll make me feel better as a writer. Thanks for reading, and hope you're looking forward to the other chapters! ^_^


	6. New Clothes:Remembrance

Hooray! Chapter 6 is finally up! ^0^ This is, so far, the LONGEST chapter. I had a hard time coming up with a title, too. Anyway, I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: (Don't know why I haven't done this to a few of the other ones... o.o) I do not own YYH or Leiko. Oh, nor do I own the PPG, since they're somewhat mentioned in this chapter. (You'll find out what it is)

Now, I'm going to give a few answers to my reviewers, since I at least owe you that. ^^

Answer #1: To Bijoux25, I know it may seem rushed at times. Like, probably during the storm, and when Kurama announced that he was a prince. I know it seemed rushed, and you're probably not the only one who noticed. Sorry about that, guys! It's just how I write, sometimes. You see, when I'm not really sure how to make it longer, deep inside, I grow somewhat panicked and feel as if I need to finish it as soon as possible, or else I'll lose the idea. I normally do that, without the rushing part, though. And, yes, I'm aware of my grammar and spelling mistakes. x.x Even after re-reading it, I guess there are still a few out there. But, if you're talking about the way the other pirates are speaking, then it's supposed to be like that.

Okay, now that that's finished, ONWARD WITH THE CHAPTER! ^_^

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--At Noon the next Day

Leiko awoke with a start, bolting upright in bed. Her breath came out fast, as if she had run a mile. She took a deep breath and sighed, calming her nerves. Looking down at her hands, she noticed that there was a white sheet lightly covering her. And her arms, including her hands, were bandaged. Raising one of her arms, she inspected it, wondering how it got there to begin with. Lowering her still tired arm, she gazed about the room she was currently in.

There was a cherry wood desk at the other end of a room, completely clear except for a picture. Squinting slightly, she managed to see a woman, a man, and a small red headed child. They all looked so happy in the photo. Blinking a few times, Leiko continued to investigate the room, taking in all of the details. There was a tall lamp located near the desk, blending in nicely with the dark colored wood. The bed she was currently in was right underneath a window, which was probably where Kurama sat when he had looked out at her the prior day.

She sighed heavily, the nightmare of last night still playing vividly in her mind. Just then, the door opened and Kurama entered, his green eyes flashing when he saw her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like crap…" She responded groggily, her voice hoarse from yelling so much. Clearing her throat, she watched as Kurama came to sit next to her.

Taking her left arm into his hands, he gently massaged it, feeling where it was tense to help relieve the pain. "How are your arms?"

"Eh…they could be better…" After watching him massage her arm for a while, she suddenly began laughing, pulling her arm out of his reach as she clutched her stomach.

Blinking, Kurama could merely watch, wondering what she was laughing so hard about. Wiping the tears out of her eyes, she looked at Kurama, her brown eyes full of life again, she said. "Sorry! I'm just remembering the last time my arms were this tired." She sighed happily. "I had just finished beating this one kid when some big dude tackled me from behind. He claimed that he was going to rape me, or something. Me, being me, didn't allow it. SO, I beat him up." She began laughing again. "It took so long to beat him that I got extremely tired… With the last of whatever energy I had left, I gave him a good right hook, and knocked him out."

"Hm. You're not like other princess, Leiko."

"Tell me about it! I hate those snobbish bastards, like my father, who do nothing but abuse their power over others."

A small smile appeared on his face. He then sighed, hanging his head slightly. "I want to apologize for the way I acted earlier. I shouldn't have assumed that you were like your father."

"Are you kidding? I hate the bastard! I could care less what happened to him…" She replied, crossing her arms.

He looked back up at her. "I understand that now." Standing up, he smiled normally at her. "If you don't mind, I would like to add you to my crew. I'm sure they could use a bit of action. Not in _that_ sense, of course. But, with your rough-housing, they may be whipped back into shape soon. So, are you in?"

"Hm…I dunno…" She thought aloud, "I mean, if I am going to be a pirate, I can't be going about in this get-up." She motioned to her tattered and torn dress. "But, what the hell, I'm in!"

"Excellent." He walked towards the door before turning back to her. "Get your rest. I'll wake you when we have landed."

Nodding, Leiko snuggled down into the warm blankets, not having slept in a real bed in a while now. Closing her eyes, she drifted off into a peaceful sleep, lulled by the gentle motion of the waves. Kurama glanced back at her one more time before quietly closing the door behind him.

--

A knock on the door awoke the princess from her peaceful sleep. She sat bolt upright, her eyes barely open, her hair a complete mess. She turned her sleepy gaze to the door, blinking slowly. A man poked his head inside, but he did not enter.

"Uhm… the Cappin wants to see yuh…" He slurred, then closed the door.

Blinking sleepily, Leiko lay back down and went back to sleep, nothing registering. The door opened again, a few minutes later, quiet footsteps entering the room. They came to rest at the side of the bed.

Reaching a hand out, Kurama gently grabbed Leiko's shoulder, shaking her slightly. "Leiko…Leiko…"

Muttering incoherently, Leiko shifted slightly before becoming still once again, not rising from her slumber. Kurama crossed his arms, pondering as to how he would wake the princess from her sleep. Having a sudden idea, he quietly went over to the door, opened it, then, with all his force, slammed it shut. The bang echoed off of the walls of the small room, and even out over the ocean. It was enough to cause the princess to jump half-way out of bed, her head resting on the floor while her legs remained in bed. Blowing a piece of her hair out of her face, she glared mildly at Kurama, who now stood over her, arms crossed with an amused look on his face.

"Have a nice sleep?"

Leiko finished falling on the floor before standing up and brushing herself off.

"I was, until you woke me up." She turned to him slightly. "And what is it you want?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that how you're going to act? I could just tie you back up to the mast…"

"Hmph. You know nothing on how to sway the ways of a woman's heart." She replied, crossing her arms while looking away defiantly.

"I wasn't trying to." He responded simply, shrugging slightly. "I merely came here to inform you, _princess_, that we have docked on a merchant island, and that you would probably find a dress suitable to your liking."

"Dress?" She turned to him in a flurry of anger. Her eyes were narrow, and her face contorted with both pain and hatred. "_Dress_?! I don't want a freaking _dress_! I can barely move in one! I hate dresses!"

Amused by her anger, he continued. "Well then, why don't you come with us? That way we are able to know what your likes and dislikes are."

"Hmph. That's for you to find out." She replied haughtily, crossing her arms while turning away slightly yet again. "And as for clothes, just get me a shirt and some pants. I could care less what color."

Looking her up and down, Kurama nodded. The princess was currently wearing a tattered white and green dress, and she did indeed look good in it. Well, she did, if he hadn't kidnapped her and destroyed it. Apparently, she hated it, so she couldn't be happier. Looking back up to her face, since she had gone back to dusting herself off, he now asked,

"What type of weapon would you like to use?"

She glanced at him, then down to his sword. (Not _that_ type of sword, PERVS! lol) "Hm… I like your sword… May I hold it?"

Kurama suddenly went red, blinking as he stared at her. She blinked, looking at him confused.

"What?" She pointed at his sword, hanging from his waist. "I merely asked if I could hold it. May I?"

"Oh...uh… Of course." He unsheathed it and carefully handed it to her, trying to control his racing heart.

She weighed it in her hand, checking it for balance and if the weight was spread evenly through the entire sword.

"This is a finely made sword…" She commented, gazing at it with bright eyes.

"Yes, indeed. My friend who's a blacksmith made it. He lives on this island, now that you mention it." He responded, taking his sword back and re-sheathing it. "We will be back soon enough. Most likely as the sun is setting. Be mindful, and do not go downstairs, below deck. There will be stragglers, and I advise to you that it is unsafe. You may go on deck, or stay in here. You may choose. Do not try and set sail on your own, however. It takes a strong hand to do so. Are there any questions?"

Glaring at him, Leiko responded, "No _mom_, no questions. Any other rules I should take into consideration?"

Giving her a mild glare, Kurama turned and exited the room, his boots thumping loudly on the smooth wooden floor. Sighing heavily, Leiko sat down heavily on Kuramas' bed, her mind wandering off to a place much more appealing.

---Around sun set

Knocking on his cabin door, Kurama carefully opened it and peered inside, wondering if Leiko had fallen asleep again. He opened the door fully, not seeing her on his bed. His eyes landed on the princess, who was standing in front of his desk, his picture frame in hand. Upon hearing the door open, she jumped and turned slightly, looking at him with big, innocent brown eyes. Her eyes traveled back to the picture, then back to the clearly older Kurama.

"I'm sorry, I grew curious…" She then smiled slightly as she turned back to the picture, "You look like such a happy family." She turned back to him. "But, I wonder… If you're here, and your father's somewhere… Where is your mother?"

A dark look crossed his face suddenly as he stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. Gently placing the few packages on his bed, he walked over next to her, his eyes focused on the small picture.

"She died…" He said huskily, trying to control his voice.

"I'm so sorry…" Leiko said quietly, her eyes returning to the picture. She handed it back to Kurama, who placed it back on his desk, facing his bed once more. He did not turn away from the picture, but merely stared at it, his eyes mystified as if re-living an old memory.

Moving quietly away, Leiko made her way back over to his bed, her eyes focused on the packages.

"Your clothes are scattered a bit, but you'll find them in there. When you've finished changing, come back outside. You'll find me near the rear of the ship." Without turning to face her, Kurama left the room, his head slightly bowed.

The feeling of sadness almost overwhelmed her as the door closed, but she pushed it away. Turning her attention back to the packages, she began the process of opening them and arranging how she would wear them.

---With Kurama

The wind gently caressed his face as he leaned against the railings at the rear of his ship. His eyes were focused on the distant stars as he looked straight ahead, his mind else where.

---Flashback

"_Mother! Look what I found!" A young boy with fiery red hair called, running over to his mother with his hands outstretched._

_Bending down slightly, the mother smiled sweetly. "What is it, Shuuichi?"_

_Trying to catch his breath, Shuuichi lifted his arms more so that she could see it more closely. Her smile only broadened as she looked into her small son's hands._

"_It's adorable! What is it, though?"_

"_It's called a Mie (me-eh). They're really rare. I can't believe I found one!"_

_She looked somewhat as if she didn't know what she would do with him, but smiled nonetheless. "But, it looks so small and innocent… poor thing… Where did you find it?"_

"_I found it sleeping on a leaf! I was gathering some herbs when I spotted this little guy!" He lowered his hands to where he was looking into them himself, a broad smile on his face._

_In the center of his hand sat a small orange fur ball. It was most likely the size of a marble. It had soft orange fur, large white eyes, and small cream colored feet that poked out at the bottom. (If you've ever seen the Powerpuff Girls, there's an episode of this red creature. A Mie is just like that, except they come in multiple colors. ^^) He looked up at the small boy with large, fear filled eyes, shaking from head to foot._

"_Aww… Poor little guy… Shuuichi, you should let him go. He misses his home and his friends."_

_Shuuichi's large green eyes turned to his mother, tearing up slightly the way they usually did when he wanted something and she said no. "Can I keep him? Please?"_

_Standing back up straight again, his mother sighed. "What am I gunna do with you, Shuuichi Minamino? The poor thing needs a proper environment to live in."_

"_I know! I've already prepared a good place for it to live! I know what its favorite foods are, and everything!" He replied, full of hope as his face brightened._

_She gazed down at her six year old son. "And how is it you know?"_

"_I read it in one of father's books! I could lend it to you, if you want."_

"_No, that won't be necessary, Shuuichi." She smiled down at him as she caught eye of his lip quivering, along with his large green eyes. "Oh, fine… You can keep him. Just make sure that you take care of him!" She said, having to shout the last of it as he raced off._

_---_End Flashback

A small smile came onto Kuramas' face as he remembered his first pet. "He grew, and grew, until mother made me let him go… He was my best friend, always there to listen to one of my problems…" He whispered into the wind, closing his eyes for just a moment.

"Kurama?"

Turning at the sound of his name being called, Kuramas' eyes widened slightly at what he saw. Leiko stood before him, wearing her new clothes that he had bought for her. Wearing a white, long sleeved, buttoned down shirt, she also had a slightly torn green vest hanging over it. Covering her legs were a pair of black pants, pulled up slightly at the bottom for being a bit too long. On her feet were a pair of almost flat bottomed boots, in which her pants were tucked into. Around her waist was a black belt with a golden buckle, showing off her figure slightly. Hanging from her waist was a silver hilted sword with jade embedded into it. Her long hair was pulled up into a low pony tail, somewhat like his, although it was looped slightly and tied as such.

She looked slightly worried as he continued to stare at her. "How do I look?"

He was speechless; absolutely speechless. Normally, he would have said things normally, as if nothing were wrong. However, in this current situation, he obviously couldn't just do something that blunt. He found himself tongue-tied, unable to say how he felt, for there were too many emotions raging inside him for him to pick one out.

"You look…beautiful…" He caught his breath, not able to help himself as he said that.

Leiko stopped her fidgeting and stared at him. "What was it you said?"

"Uh.." He went completely red once again. Turning back to facing the ocean, he said, "I said, you look good. You look like a real pirate now..."

"Oh…" She seemed somewhat let down, but pushed it aside and leaned on the railing next to him. "You know…I've been thinking…" Seeing as how Kurama was currently silent, she continued anyway. "What is a prince, such as yourself, doing way out here in the middle of the ocean? I mean, you look like a nice guy, when you're not mad. So, why choose to be a pirate?"

"Because my father was, and still is, one." He replied quietly, his gaze re-focusing as he spoke.

"Yeah, I understand that, but why? There has to be some reason. I mean, yeah, your father was a pirate. But, why did you become one? It couldn't have been just to follow in your father's footsteps, could it? It seems too unexplained that way…" She asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

Kurama turned to look at her, his eyes searching for something within hers. She merely stared back, confused.

"My real name is Shuuichi. My mother named me, and she loved me with all her heart. But, one day, when I was 10, she fell gravely ill. She died three days later… All my life, I had spent reading most of my father's books, imagining what a life on the ocean could be like, along with learning royalty level academics. I had also been planning on sailing away with my father, so that we could travel together…"

"Wouldn't that leave your mother alone?" Leiko asked quietly, going along with the story of his life, since it was the only thing that actually made sense in this whole kidnapping situation she was in.

"Exactly. I didn't want to leave my mother alone on an island in the middle of nowhere. I stayed with her as long as I could, but, in the end, she died… Thus leaving me alone. Father was there, but he didn't even offer to take me with him. I asked, but he said no. 'You have to live life on your own, son. Remember where you came from, remember your mother and me, and remember who your friends are. They will help you, in the end. I will assist in the creation of your own ship, but the way you run it will be your own.' That was the last message that he gave me before he left."

"Didn't he build that ship for you?"

"No, a few of his men did. He had sent them to do so, then at the end of it all, sent word to them to meet him somewhere on the island at a certain time. I found out the next day that they were gone because I was completely alone on the island. He abandoned me…"

Leiko suddenly hugged him, hugging him tightly and fully. Kurama blinked, surprised by this sudden action. He stared down at her, his eyes wide with shock. She glanced up at him, and it was then that he noticed that she was trying not to cry. There were tears brimming her eyes as she stared up at him, trying her hardest not to cry.

He grew concerned suddenly. "You shouldn't shed tears. Especially for other people you barely know…" He tried to wipe her tears away, but she merely buried her face into his chest, not wanting him to see the tears spilling over.

"How?"

"How what?"

"How did you get the name 'Kurama'?" Came her muffled question, her face still buried.

Pursing his lips slightly, Kurama then looked over the railing once again, his throat drying suddenly.

"After my first few heists, people began to call me Kurama, after the legendary Youko Kurama, who is the most feared pirate of them all. They began calling me Kurama because of my cut-throat ways and such… That is how I became so popular so quickly…"

She backed away from him, drying her eyes with her left hand. Making sure that her eyes were dry, she looked up at him and into his emerald eyes.

"You've certainly earned that name… Kidnapping me, along with practically starving me to death! Not to mention any water!" Her anger was beginning to control her again, although she knew the time was not appropriate.

Kurama stared at her, his eyes flashing in the darkness. He said nothing, but merely turned towards the sea, his mind else where once again.

Taking a deep breath, Leiko managed to calm her nerves. "I'm sorry, Kurama… I guess I'm still angry at-" She was cut off by Kuramas' lips meeting hers suddenly, silencing her. Closing her eyes after the first few seconds, she managed to relax in his arms. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him back, not wanting to part from his soft kiss. His lips were soft and tender, not to be expected from a cold-hearted pirate who had been on the seas for the past few years, apart from frequent trips to small islands every now and then. Finally parting, Leiko could only stare at him, her face completely red. Kurama stared back, his expression blank. He suddenly turned away and disappeared. The sound of his cabin door closing signified that he had gone inside, not to come out again for a while.

Leiko could do nothing but stand there, completely stunned. Placing her left hand gently over her lips, she couldn't help but smile slightly. With that last thought in her heart, she turned and faced the ocean, enjoying the night breeze on her face.

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And that's the end of Chapter 6! I hope you liked it, and don't forget to review! ^_^


	7. Explanations

All right! Chapter 7! This one explains more about Kuramas' past and stuff. Oh, and there's been something on my mind that I haven't explained yet. Do you know why this story seems so rushed? Well, in some/most chapters? It's because this story is about as old as Unexpected Love, my other fan fiction. Oh, and it's also complete. ^_^ I'm just putting it up when I know it's the right time. Maybe you expected that, maybe not. *shrugs* It's a writers' job to try and captivate the audience with unexpected surprises. =P Maybe I'm getting too ahead of myself? Eh, I don't want to bore you guys to death, so let's continue on with the chapter! ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, especially Kurama. Nor do I own Leiko.

Hope you like the chapter!

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---3 Days Later

"But, Kurama! Damn it, why are you ignoring me?!" Leiko questioned, trailing behind Kurama as he tried to get away from her.

Kurama stopped suddenly, sighing heavily. He turned around, causing Leiko to almost bump into him.

"Listen to me, and listen to me well. I will not repeat myself. What happened a few days ago meant nothing. It just happened."

"If it just happened, then why did you do it in the first place?! Besides, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Then what is it?" He asked irritably, crossing his arms, completely ignoring her question.

"I wanted to ask you if you could help me in the ways of being a pirate. I mean, I look like one, but I certainly don't have the skills, or the cunning. Can you help me?"

"No. Get your own help." He snapped, before turning and stalking away, slamming the door to his quarters.

Groaning slightly, Leiko couldn't help but glare after him, feeling completely mixed feelings about everything. She turned away and went to go talk to Brom, who she knew had secret connections with their captain.

"Brom! Could I speak with you for a moment, please?" She asked sweetly, leaning against a barrel as she looked down at him as he fiddled with more rope.

"Uh…sure… Just let me untangle this rope first…" He replied distractedly, being completely entangled in the ropes.

Sighing, Leiko moved around the barrel and, picking up a piece of rope, gently tugged, releasing Brom from his encasement of rope. He sat, dazed, looking up at her.

"Now, can we talk? There are some questions that I need answered…"

"Uhm…sure…" Standing up, he limped over to the left side of the ship and slumped down onto the floor. Looking up, he patted the ground next to him, motioning to Leiko to sit there.

Sitting down next to him, already used to the feeling of sitting on water, she sighed heavily.

"Now, tell me, what are the questions you want answered?" He asked with a tired old smile.

Turning to him, Leiko unleashed one of the questions that had been bothering her the most. "What happened to Kurama when he was younger that made him become a pirate?"

The old man's face looked incredibly worn and tired suddenly. With a heavy sigh, he mopped his brow, trying to find a suitable way of answering.

"Well… It has to do with his brother."

"Brother?" She asked, completely taken by surprise. "But I thought he said that it was because of his father?"

"Yes, somewhat. His father did indeed have an effect on him becoming a pirate. But, 95 percent of the fault lies with his brother, Youko."

"You mean Youko Kurama?"

"Yes. He is Kurama's older brother by 6 years. The whole family felt the pain of losing Shiori, Kurama and Youkos' mother. She was a kind and sweet woman; willing to go through enormous efforts for the sake of her children. However, the day that she died, everyone was heart-torn, even Youko himself. Anyway, a few days after her death, Youko pulled his younger brother to the side. He must have said something to stir Kuramas' blood, for he came back extremely cold, and ordered his father to take him with him to the seas. His father, knowing his oldest son, said no and left him to fend for himself. Youko, being 16 at the time, knew exactly what he was doing to the 10 year old Kurama. He left the next day, ignoring his brothers' cries for help."

"What an ass…" Leiko murmured, feeling irritation flood her body.

"Indeed. However, he knew exactly how to play his little brother. Anyway, their father left Kurama a few men, knowing that Youko had gotten to him. They built him a good sized ship, and then left him to fend for himself. Growing irritated at being left alone all the time, and feeling the weight of his mother's death, he began to train himself for the next two years. Once he was 12, he gathered his supplies and set sail, never to return there."

Leiko grew confused suddenly. "Hold it! How the hell do you know all of this?"

Brom blinked. "Oh, I was there. Did I forget to mention that?" He glanced at her. "Judging by that glare, I'd say I forgot to mention that. Sorry..."

"When did you get there?"

"Before his father left the first time after his wife's death, he told me to stay behind and look after his youngest son."

"So, you've been with him ever since the beginning?"

"Yes indeed, Princess Leiko." He gave her a charming smile, before leaning his head back against the wooden railing. "That was why, the other day, when I was washed off of the ship, he yelled my name. He knew that he wouldn't be able to make it over there in time to save me… But then, you saved me. You surprised us all by doing that, including myself. Of course, in the middle of that situation, no one paid any mind to it. But, they certainly did afterward. You've impressed us all, Leiko."

Sighing, Leiko looked up at the endless blue sky, going over everything that he had just said. "I seem to be doing a lot of that lately…" She sat up suddenly, remembering when she had first gotten on the ship.

--Flashback

"_What is on your mind, princess Leiko?"_

--End Flashback

"How does he know my name?" She asked suddenly, needing desperately to know the answer.

"Ah…" Brom smiled a knowing smile, for he knew that this was coming. "I was wondering when you would ask that question."

She looked at him, wondering what he meant by that. Sighing once again, Brom sat up straight, his legs crossed, and his full attention on her.

"Leiko, you've met Kurama before."

"What?! What are you talking about? I haven't met him before in my life!"

"Oh, yes you have. It was when you first moved to that castle by the sea. Don't you remember?"

--Flashback

"_Leiko, dear. Don't wander off, you could get lost." Her mother called out to her, extending a hand to grasp that of a small child._

"_Yes, mommy…" Leiko replied, running to catch up to the long strides her mother and father were taking._

"_Well Kelte, are you ready to hand over your crown?" Her father's voice boomed importantly, echoing with false identity._

_A man sighed; his shoulder length silver hair swaying slightly as he gently shook his head._

"_Why did you do this, Kosuke? I had thought that you were my friend, only to realize that you were a fake. I am disappointed."_

"_What's new? You could never really trust the fat bastard anyway." A 10 year old boy retorted, crossing his arms while looking away._

"_Not now, Youko." Kelte turned back to Kosuke, a sad expression on his face. "Just answer me this. Why? Why did you do it? Why kick someone out of their home?"_

_Leiko looked between the fighting adults, not really understanding much of what was happening. Her gaze feel down to her level, where she saw the other man, Kelte, who was really nice to her, to his wife, who was also really kind to her, to a little boy about her age. Looking about, she quickly hid behind her mother, like he was doing to his. Her mother paid her no mind and continued to pay attention to the topic, knowing that her daughter knew enough manners not to interrupt. Peeking out from behind her mother's legs, she glanced towards the little boy she had just seen. She saw him watching her curiously, yet shyly at the same time. Glancing about, she looked back at him and gave a meek wave. Surprisingly enough, he waved back. His mother glanced down at him, then at her, smiled slightly, then turned back to the conversation._

_Tugging on her mother's sleeve, Leiko managed to get her mother's attention. Kneeling down, her mother smiled patiently at her. "What is it, Leiko?"_

"_Mommy, who's that boy over there?" She asked quietly, not wanting to disturb her father's rising voice._

_Glancing over in that direction, her mother replied, "He's name's Shuuichi, and he's her youngest son."_

"_Oh… hey, mommy, maybe next time, I could play with him?"_

_Her mother gave a fake smile. "I'm afraid you won't be seeing him any more after today, sweetie."_

"_But, why?" She asked, confused._

"_Don't worry about it dear. Now, just hush up and stay put."_

_Feeling defeated, Leiko sighed quietly and remained quiet, not liking to feel sad. At the end of the negotiation, Kelte and his family left the castle, never to return, the little redheaded boy along with them._

-End Flashback

Leiko stood up straight suddenly, her face completely pale. "Oh my god, you're right… I did know Kurama!" She whirled around and faced Brom. "But, how do you know this?"

"I was there, sweetie. I used to work at the castle. I was hiding behind one of the pillars, and over heard the whole thing. I also saw the whole thing."

Leiko's heart was racing, the blood pounding in her ears. Her expression was blank, her fists clenched. Without another word, she bolted over the deck, up the stairs, and pounded on the door that led to Kuramas' quarters. Opening the door, Kurama was completely shocked when Leiko jumped him, hugging him tightly. Blinking in confusion, he could only stand there, trying to balance himself, as Leiko continued to hug him.

Releasing him, she unleashed everything on her mind. "Oh my god! I remember! I remember everything! I saw you when I was little! And I saw your mom! Oh! And I saw your brother! I was so little… And I saw your father! Why didn't you tell me any of this? Were you scared? What? You have to learn to trust me! I'm sorry your mother died and all...but you've got me now!"

Blinking confusedly, Kurama eyed her wearily. "Are you finished…?"

Blinking a few times, thinking over everything she had just blurted out as fast as she could, she finally said, "Oh yeah!" She kissed him, not knowing why, not understanding why, but just did it. Completely taken by surprise, he could do nothing, his body paralyzed. In the background, upon hearing the pounding on the door, the rest of the crew had come out from either below deck, or paid more attention to what was happening. Now, they were cheering the two on, glad that there was some action happening.

Backing away slowly, Leiko could only blush as she looked into Kuramas' shocked green eyes. "You can trust me, Kurama… Please, don't push me away…"

Blinking once, Kurama smiled. "I have yet to do so. But, I'll take it into consideration."

Smiling, while still blushing, Leiko giggled. "All right. And, maybe now you'll teach me how to be a proper pirate?"

"Of course."

Hugging him, Leiko could do nothing but smile.

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I hope you liked Chapter 7, and can't wait for the next! Chapter 8, I think, finally shows... Oop! Can't say! ^^ You're just gunna have to wait and read! Please review! Thanks!


	8. First Appearance

Yay! Chapter 8! This is where I make my first appearance! ^_^ (I pop in randomly, you'll see what I mean later.) This chapter, if I remember correctly, is more up to date. I'm not sure when it was that I started to make it sound less....uh...rushed, I guess. It may have been this chapter, or others in the future. I can't remember. x.x;; Anyway, on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: I d not own Yu Yu Hakusho, especially Kurama. Nor do I own Leiko. I DO own Rose and everyone else, though. ^^

Enjoy!

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---The Next Day

Leikos' back slammed heavily on the deck, her ragged body covered from head to foot in scratches. Kurama stood a few feet away from her, his sword drawn and pointing at her threateningly.

"Giving up already? What a pity. I thought you would have given much more of a challenge for me."

Breathing heavily, Leiko glared up at him, managing to turn onto her left side. "Damn it! You're not even trying are you?!"

Smirking, Kurama moved his sword away slightly. "Not at all. You have yet to provide even the slightest hint of a challenge."

Growling in irritation, Leiko lay flat on her back once again, then jumped to her feet, her right hand clutching her silver hilted sword tightly.

"I'm not finished yet!"

With that said, she charged at him, her sword raised. Amused by her actions, he raised his sword and blocked her attack. As his dominant hand was busy, she took advantage of the moment to quickly punch him with her left fist, hitting him right across the face, and making him stagger backwards in shock.

Kuramas' gaze was blank as he stared at her in shock. Taking her chance at his disorientation, she charged once again, raising the sword with much swiftness. Sadly, Kurama regained his composure quicker and blocked her attack. Taking her shock as one of his advantages, he quickly gave her a quick jab in the stomach, then spun his sword with hers, disarming her and sending her sword flying, then sent her crashing to the ground once again.

Placing a hand on the side of his face, Kurama glanced back down at her, his sword still in his right hand.

"I'm surprise you managed to hit me…" He massaged his now bruised cheek, his right eye closed. "That actually hurt… You could give my brother a run for his money…"

Sitting up while clutching her stomach in pain, she managed to ask, "Y-your brother…?"

"Yes, my brother. He was the only other one that could hit me and it would hurt…"

Groaning in pain, Leiko stood up, her eyes focused on him. "You know, if it's hard to talk about your brother, you don't have to…"

Opening his right eye so that he could see her fully, he gave a small smile. "Yes… I do believe it is time for me to explain the actions of my older brother. For one, he is a womanizer. For another, he is considered the King of all Pirates, for no one can challenge him."

"Why don't you challenge him?" Leiko asked, interrupting him.

Sheathing his sword, Kurama replied with a straight face, "Because I know I am no match for him… He'd kill me before he could feel any remorse what so ever…"

"Uh-huh… Is there any thing else you want to warn me about?"

"Yes." He looked her dead in the eye. "Never be in the same room with him, alone. If you are a woman, no matter what the cause, he will..." His voice faded, not able to bring himself to say it.

She gazed at him curiously, blinking in slight confusion. He turned his head away, not able to look at her directly.

"He'd what? Rape me?"

Kurama gave a small nod, his mouth having gone completely dry.

Leiko could see that the thought bothered him, and decided to just leave the topic alone. Thinking briefly about what to change the topic to, she finally came up with something.

"Hey, Kurama? How am I coming along in the becoming more of a pirate thingy?"

Jumping slightly at the obvious change of topic, he looked back at her. "Uhm…you're doing…fine…"

Suddenly feeling the need of making him blush, she continued, "Are you saying that because I really did improve, or because you like me?"

Kuramas' face suddenly turned as red as a rose, his eyes locked on hers. Leiko controlled the urge to laugh uncontrollably, and made herself hug him.

"Don't worry about it. I know you do." With that said, she disappeared down the stairs below deck, leaving Kurama completely stunned and unmoving above deck.

---On a distant island somewhere…

A scrawny man's back slammed against a jagged wall, his bones cracking echoing throughout the damp cave. The man's unmoving body lay crumpled in a heap, the life having gone from him. A man with long silvery white hair and golden eyes walked forward, his narrow eyes glaring coldly down at the unmoving form.

"How dare you bring me inadequate information." He growled, his golden eyes flashing menacingly.

"Sir! We have new information!" A man called, rushing in on the scene while pointing back the way he had come. He stopped dead when he saw his boss towering over the man's crumpled body. "Uh…am I interrupting something, sir?"

"No. Get this trash out of here." He ordered before turning his back on the lifeless form and walking towards the man. Stopping right next to him, he said in a low and deadly voice, "You'd better have correct information, or you'll have a worse fate that your friend." then walked off.

Trying to control his trembling body, he carefully walked over to the dead man's body and hauled it over his shoulder. With fear in his eyes, he slowly made his way to the entrance of the cave, throwing the body into the dark sea water. Watching it slowly be consumed by sharks, he grew pale, his mind rapidly going over his chances of escaping, and the consequences of escaping as well.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, he reentered the cave. Storm clouds were beginning to gather, giving the ominous feeling that something bad was about to happen.

"Hey! Hey, boss! Check this chick out!" A large, muscular man laughed evilly, pulling from a small jail a young maiden. Her cerulean colored eyes were filled with fear as her gaze fell on the King of Pirates as he entered the room. His golden eyes swept over her, softening slightly, then returning to their cold stature as he looked away as he sat down heavily.

"Not now."

"But, sir! She could help you relax more! Just look at her hands! Soft and delicate." She cried out in both pain and surprise as he pulled her hands more than she was used to.

The King's eyes were on her, watching her struggle to get away in a futile attempt. She gave up after a few minutes, tears brimming her eyes as her wrists were rubbed raw.

"Let her go." He ordered, suddenly feeling exasperated. His irritated gaze watched as the man reluctantly let her go, and as she slunk away slightly into the shadows of the cave, her fear filled gaze on him.

"Come here, woman."

Jumping noticeably, she didn't budge. His eyes narrowed. "I said, come _here._"

Swallowing roughly, her throat having almost closed, she slowly made her way over to him, slinking around the walls, away from his other men. Finally managing to get next to him, she stood, trembling, before him. Her light brown hair lay matted to her head as she shook, her eyes trying to find somewhere else to look besides his cold gaze.

"Relax, woman. I will not hurt you, or command you to do anything. Take a seat." He assured her, his gaze softening slightly.

Surprised, she stared at him, her mind blank. Suddenly realizing that she was staring at him, she quickly took an uneasy seat next to him on his right. Turning his now even colder gaze to his men, he ordered, "Now, give me the information you've claimed to have gathered. If it's any worse, or I find out that you have lied to me, then you will die a slow and agonizing death."

The man that had interrupted him earlier stepped forward, wringing his hands nervously in front of him.

"Well, sir, we've gathered information that your brother was last seen on a merchant's island, about 30 miles from our current position. He shipped out the next day, I believe, and now we don't know where he's at. Unknown sources have told me that he is looking for Nacar Island, which, if I remember correctly, is our main hideout, right?"

Smirking, the king leaned on his right hand, getting more comfortable. "I see. So, my little brother is trying to track me down. Heh, he knows that I'm rarely even on Nacar Island, but tries nonetheless." His eyes looked down at the maiden that sat uncomfortably next to him. "It appears as if I'll have use for you after all, Rose."

She jumped as he said her name, then blushed immensely. "B-but..you said we weren't going to do anything…"

"Are you questioning me?"

She jumped once again, growing even more nervous. "Uh..n-no, sir… I-it's just… I thought you were one that kept his word…"

"Hm…true…" He turned his attention back to the rest of his pirate gang. "It appears as if you've gathered adequate information this time. It is time to place my plan into action. Asai, it's time. Take the smallest ship, not a dinghy, to the next biggest port, and wait for the arrival of my brother's ship."

"But…how do you know he'll go there?"

His smirk broadened. "Because of the fact that he is my younger brother. Now, do not delay. Get going."

"Yes, sir!" Asai replied, saluting slightly before bolting out of the large cavern and off of the small island.

The other pirate men scattered and exited the cavern in groups, leaving the king of pirates alone with the young maiden. Feeling his eyes upon her, Rose reddened and stared down at her folded hands.

"Well well, it appears as if it's just you and me, alone together, Rose."

Swallowing roughly once again, she made no effort to respond, knowing that it wouldn't matter either way.

"Why don't we have some fun, shall we?" The maliciousness in his voice made her skin crawl.

Standing up to his full height, the king of pirates held an open palm out to her, offering to help her stand up.

"I'm impressed on your acting, Rose. It seems to be improving."

Glaring up at him slightly, she took his offered hand and unsteadily got to her feet. "Yeah, well… I'm not making a habit out of this…" She tripped and fell into his open arms. "Just do me a favor and stop it with the 'woman' thing. It's so irritating…"

Chuckling, he turned and began walking away, her trailing after him. "I'll do what I must."

Sighing in defeat, Rose could do nothing but follow the older man, cursing herself for having fallen for him.

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And that's the end of Chapter 8! I hope you've enjoyed it, and have, possibly, a lot of questions on your minds. Oh, and, if I were to announce this at some point in this story, I guess now would be a good time to do it.

*Ahem* This part at the end, that has to do with Rose (me) and Youko, it is an entirely different story that I'm writing at the moment. Not sure when this one will be finished, considering the fact that I keep deleting and editing it and stuff, and that it's only in the -teen pages. x.x But, I'm working on it. (The reason to why I waited until _after_ I finished ARAAR is because I didn't want to mix the ideas.)

Oh yeah, I'm sure you've noticed that Leiko is with Kurama, and Youko is with me. The explanation for that is, me and Leiko are, somewhat, fan girls. (Not rabid fan girls, just quiet fans.) We kept fighting over Kurama because I like Youko Kurama, and she likes the human one. So, we made up our own world that has them as brothers. Yes, I know it's weird. But, it worked! ^_^ This is a fan fiction OF a fan fiction. lol

Hopefully this explanation has helped clear your mind of some questions, or has managed to make things worse. Sorry if it has! Anyway, hope you're looking forward to the next chapter! Thanks, and please review!


	9. A strange power

I have a correction to make! So far, THIS is the shortest chapter by far! But! It's one of the important ones, in my book. Oh yeah... I have a few things to explain!

To D101: In response to your questions:

**Are they going to run into his brother at all?**

_You're going to have to read and find out. ^w^_

**And I was just wondering, wouldn't he know her name anyways because she is a princess?**

_No, not because she was a princess. But because of other reasons. One, he had asked about her as a kid. Two, usually a kidnapper knows about their victim, right? So, he knows because he did some research, especially his memories, and then kidnapped her._

**So does Rose dress up as random girls to give Yoko a rep as a womanizer?**

_No, she doesn't. But, his other men bring him different women to him, knowing of his womanizing. Rose knows about it, but she stays quiet, knowing that if she said anything, the others would find out that they liked each other. But, Youkos' been losing interest in the other women ever since he met Rose, which is what I'm writing in that new story I mentioned in the last chapter._

Don't be afraid to ask me questions! ^^ I'd be happy to answer them! I'll post them here to ease the minds of others that are probably wondering the same thing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, especially Kurama. Nor do I own Leiko.

Enjoy!

---------------------------------

---Back on Kuramas' ship

"Hah! I win again!"

"Aww…"

Kurama walked out on deck to find his men, along with Leiko, doing some kind of activity that involved a form of drink. Using his sharp eye sight, he noticed that there was something strange with the drink. Walking over, he stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes focused on the drink in the barrel they had sitting next to them.

"What are you doing?"

"Playin'! What's it look like?" Leiko replied, playfully punching a man to her right on his left cheek.

"Hm… Where was it you got that substance in the barrel?"

"I dunno… Found it below deck earlier…"

He suddenly grew pale. Walking over to the barrel, he was about to place his hand inside the thick dark green liquid when his instincts told him to stop before he touched the surface.

"Everyone, get away from the barrel."

"Huh? Why's that, boss?"

"Just do it." Kuramas' voice was so final that everyone moved away immediately, not questioning him.

Taking a deep, calming breath, Kurama plunged his right hand deep within the liquid, then left it there, a dark look on his face. As he tried to pull it back out, something seemed to hold fast to him and held him in place, not letting him go.

"Damn it… You're still up to no good, brother…"

With that murmured, a bright light flashed from within the barrel, disintegrating the thick liquid. Standing up straight again, he turned his slightly narrow eyes to his group of pirates.

"If you find any more of this substance, don't touch it. Tell me as soon as you see it. Has anyone else, other than me, touched this liquid?"

"Um….no sir, no one. We just passed it about in a cup, that's all…"

"I see… Be more careful with things you don't know anything about. If you see anything that catches your attention, or feel something is terribly wrong, let me know. Until then, you are free to do almost whatever you want." Turning, he left the deck and back into his cabin, leaving everyone feeling dumbfounded at what they had just witnessed.

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And that's the end of chapter 9! Yes, I know it's short, as I warned above. I'll post it soon. Hope you like it, and are looking forward to further chapters! Thanks, and please review!


	10. Captured Again!

This is Chapter 10! I hope you're looking forward to this chapter! And I'm sure you'll be glad to know...this chapter is definitely longer than the last! ^0^ lol Anyway, on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, especially Kurama. Nor do I own Leiko.

Enjoy!

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---5 days later

Leiko was knocking on Kuramas' door, trying to either get his attention, or get him out of bed.

"Yo! Kurama! The guys told me to tell you that we've made it to a sea port! They say it's pretty big too!" Silence. "Hey! Are you listening to me!?"

The door opened suddenly and Kurama stood there, staring at her. Feeling disoriented for a brief moment, she pushed it away.

"Cht, finally…"

"A major sea port… I wonder…" He walked right past her, going further out onto the deck and staring down at the town, obviously deep in thought.

"You're welcome!" Leiko yelled, infuriated at the fact that he had completely ignored her.

Ignoring her completely, Kuramas' eyes were on a shady figure who was sulking by a stack of ropes, his eyes hungrily staring at the ship. Narrowing his green eyes, Kurama turned to Leiko, who had crossed her arms and had looked away in irritation.

"Leiko, watch over the ship. I'll be heading to town to do something. I trust you can manage an empty ship, right?"

"I guess…" She snapped, shifting her narrow gaze to his green eyes. "That seems to be the only thing I'm good for; to be left behind and all." Her body began to shake with pent up anger. Lowering her arms to her sides, her hands balled up into fists, her whole body now shook violently with anger. "You men are all the same! Taking advantage of women and such! Sure! Just leave me here! You all assume that just because you leave us alone we're happy! Well, you know what? SCREW YOU! I'VE HAD IT WITH YOUR STUPID ATTITUDE! It's pissing me off, and you wouldn't like me when I'm angry…"

Blinking in slight confusion at where this came from exactly, Kurama couldn't help but burst out laughing. Holding his stomach, he managed to catch small amounts of breath in between his fits of laughter. Managing to catch his breath, he remained chuckling as he walked over to the even more confused Leiko.

Wrapping his arms around her in a hug, he said, "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. I'm sorry for assuming this, but this is important. You'd best be on your guard." Standing up straight, he gazed into Leikos' bright pink face. "I don't trust anyone else with this, and I know you will not let me down." Giving her a quick kiss on the lips, he walked down the ramp and disappeared into the bustling crowds.

Blinking, Leiko managed to move her jelly-like legs over to Kurama's cabin and entered, closing the door behind her. She needed some time to think, and to try and sort out what had just happened.

---Later that evening

"Augh…where is that dolt…" Leiko murmured, glaring at the opposite wall as she sat, inclined on his chair, her eyes narrow.

Hearing the ramp creak in complaint to weight, she jumped from the chair, cringing as the chair clattered noisily to the floor. She, as quietly as she could, snuck over to the door and stood near it, wondering if she was doing a good enough job.

'_I don't need to think about how I'm doing! I just need to do it! Um… Let's see… Kurama had come back earlier saying that he would stay with the other guys in that tavern. So, the only one on this ship should be me. Kurama did say that he would be back when the moon was at its highest point in the sky…'_ Peeking out of the nearby window, she saw that the moon was about half-way up, and that there was still some light on the horizon. _'Nope. So, it's definitely not Kurama… Then, who is it?'_

Hearing boot steps on the deck caused her senses to get more alert. They seemed to be slow, as if the owner was curious and was just looking around. They suddenly stopped, causing an eerie silence to settle over the entire boat. Inhaling deeply, Leiko held her breath as she counted to 10. Hearing nothing outside, she decided to take a chance and see who it had been. Opening the door, she slowly made her way out and looked about.

With her keen eyes, and her heightened senses, she knew and felt that there was someone still on board. But, where was he? Wandering about, her narrow eyes scanning everything in sight, she failed to see anything that could possibly be above her. As she passed the crow's nest, she suddenly felt as if she were in danger. Reaching for her sword, she suddenly remembered that she had removed it earlier to relieve some of the weight.

Whirling around, Leiko saw a shadow behind her, slowly approaching her. Raising her fists in a fighting stance, she glared at him. "Just who the hell are you?"

More boot steps behind her caused her to jump, lowering her defense for an instant. The man that had been behind her tackled her, thinking that her guard was completely down. Thinking quickly, she kicked him off of her and jumped to her feet, facing the three new arrivals that held gleaming swords in their hands.

"Get the woman!" The shadowed man croaked from his fettle position, clutching his stomach tightly as he glared at her coldly.

"Come near me, and I'll knock your lights out!" Leiko shouted, pressing her back against the main mast, her eyes shifting between her new targets.

Glancing at each other, the three men charged at her at once, not wasting any time what-so-ever. Punching the first one in the forehead, and the second one in the stomach, she turned slightly to face the third one, who held double swords in his hands.

With a ferocious cry, the shadowed man tackled Leiko from behind, causing her to land heavily to on the deck.

"Augh! Get off me!"

Quickly, and skillfully, tying her wrists and ankles, he got off, whipping his brow. "She's a feisty one… You, cover her head. We wouldn't want her to see where we're going. Oh, and gag her too. You know how he hates noisy women…"

Nodding, the third man took out a white cloth and tied it over her mouth. Grabbing a burlap sack that lay near him, he covered her head. Sighing heavily, the shadowed man glared down at the wiggling form that was Leiko.

"You, carry her to the boat. But first, knock her out. Make sure she's out, also. Let's make our way back to the boss, I'm sure he's wondering where we're at by now…"

"Yes, sir,"

'_What are these oafs talking about?! And, who's this 'boss' I keep hearing. Uh-oh…I hope they don't mean-'_

The third man hit her in the back of the head, knocking her unconscious. Grunting in effort, he lifted the unconscious princess onto his shoulder and hauled her off, ignoring his fallen comrades. When Leiko had punched, she had ruptured the first man's skull, causing an instant death, and had rupture the second man's liver, which no one can live without. The shadowed man, mopping his brow once again, pushed the two bodies over board before leaving the ship himself, thinking that he had outsmarted his boss's younger brother. Little did he know there was someone watching him from the shadows.

---The Around Midnight

Kurama ran on board, having heard from an anonymous source just outside his bedroom that his ship was under attack. He had managed to get away from his ravenous crew only moments before and had run as fast as he could. He stopped in his tracks as he stepped onto the deck of his ship. There was an eerie silence that was covering the ship like a thick blanket, giving him goose bumps.

"Leiko! Leiko! Answer me!" He called, searching both above and below deck. "LEIKO!!!"

---At the King's hideout

The third man from the night before tossed Leiko's unconscious body heavily on the jagged floor. A few cuts decorated her arms as more and more footsteps echoed within the cavern.

"What have you brought me, Asai?"

"We've brought something that might interest you, sir."

Even though she had the burlap sack over her head, plus a gag over her mouth, a muffled groan managed to escape as she became conscious again. She tried to move, but found that she still had restrains attached to her.

"A woman?"

Leiko stiffened, realizing where she must be at. _'How the hell did they get me here so quickly!?'_

"Y-yes, sir. You see, it looks like your brother has someone he adores. I saw them kissing before he left and I came aboard. I thought this might be the perfect gift for you, sir."

"Hm… We'll see… Stand her up and tie her to a stalagmite. Let's see what's underneath that burlap sack."

Leiko was roughly moved up against a large stalagmite and tied to it. Her ankles and wrists were untied, and the burlap sack removed. Bright light blinded Leiko, causing her to close her eyes and cringe slightly. Slowly opening her eyes, she came face to face with a man. Opening her eyes further, she couldn't help but stare at him in shock. He had long, silvery grey hair, sharp golden eyes, and a well built body. Not big and bulky, but definitely not a wimp either. Blinking a few times, making sure that she was seeing a real human being, and not a dream, she continued to stare.

Stepping forward slightly, he reached behind her head and began to untie the knot that kept the gag over her mouth.

"Let us dispose of this, shall we?" He asked quietly, smirking slightly as he noticed her blush. Once removed, he bent down slightly so that he could be at eye level with her. "Tell me, what is a beautiful maiden such as yourself, doing out on the seas?"

Leiko's mouth was slightly ajar, still in shock as she stared at him. Shaking her head vigorously to get herself out of the trance, she glared at him. _'I have to remember what Kurama told me! He told me never be alone with him alone… OK, that's settled, there are other people in here… Um…what else… He told me that he was strong, and that he was a womanizer… Yeah! I can use that against him! I wonder if he's as strong as Kurama says he is…?'_

"You have no business asking me that!"

"Hm…I see…" Reaching down, he removed a knife from his boot and cut the ropes that bond her.

Staggering forward slightly, she fought to regain her balance before she fell into his arms by accident. Managing to do this, she stood her ground, glaring coldly at him.

He raised an eyebrow bemusedly. "You're fairly brave to stand up to me, woman." He suddenly smirked. "Although, you are not the first. Most of the others either died, or have remained with me."

"You pig! You're nothing but a sick womanizer! You do nothing but toy with the hearts of women!" She pointed an accusing finger at him, then turn and crossed her arms, looking away from him. "Now I can see why Kurama's more attractive than you are… He actually knows how to treat a woman… Plus, he doesn't over abuse his masculinity like you do..."

At this point, he had heard enough. Roughly grabbing her by her shoulders, he slammed her against the stalagmite, causing her to cry out in pain. She looked up at him in fear, her body shaking involuntarily.

"Now, you listen to me, and listen to me closely, wench. I will not have you insulting me and my mannerisms with such disrespect. You dare insult the name Youko Kurama?" he snarled, his eyes cold and narrow. "You will die a horrible death…"

Leiko managed to get out of his grip. Taking a few steps back, she glared at him coldly, her right hand clutching her left shoulder tightly.

"Don't you dare touch me, you filthy sea rat!"

Youko's eyes flashed dangerously, but his expression was calm and cool, showing just how dangerous he could be. Taking a step forward, he glared coldly at her, studying her features.

Leiko took a step back, gritting her teeth as she did so. _'Damn it! What the hell am I supposed to do now!?'_

Without warning, someone attempted to tackle her from behind. Hearing him coming, Leiko quickly moved out of the way. Another man grabbed her wrist, but she used that leverage and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying backwards while crying out in pain. Youko grabbed her shoulder from behind suddenly, using her momentum to turn herself around. Using this momentum, Leiko raised a fist and threw it at him, thinking that it would land. Raising his right hand, he easily caught her fist. Clutching it tightly, he glared into her eyes, and slowly forced her wrists back into a submissive move.

Crying out in pain, Leiko could do nothing as he held her wrist in that pinning move. Youkos' smirk soon faded as his eyes traveled to her captured fist. Releasing his grip on her fist, he quickly caught her wrist so that she wouldn't get away. Inspecting her hand, he grabbed the other one and held them up to his face so that he could see properly. Lowering them both, his smirk returned as his narrow and mischievous eyes fell upon and held her eyes.

"It appears my brother and I have similar taste…"

"What are you talking about, you creep?!" Leiko cried, trying to pull her hands away from him.

"You are no ordinary she-pirate. You are a princess. And, now that I think about it," He leaned in closer to her face, studying it closely. Leiko tried to look away, but since he held her wrists, her movement was limited. He smirked suddenly. "Ah, yes, I remember now. Princess Leiko, of the kingdom by the sea… Heh, to think that my brother actually kidnapped you… It appears as if we're more alike than each of us believes."

Vines came out of nowhere and wrapped themselves firmly around Leiko's body. Letting go of her wrists, her arms fell to her sides automatically before being encased in the vines as well.

As her body hit the ground, Youko shouted, "Bring that other woman. We shall test my brother when he comes; see how much his precious princess is worth." He walked off, leaving the princess encased and alone.

Cursing herself, she could only hope that Kurama would save her before her life was forfeit.

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And that's the end of chapter 10! I hope you've enjoyed it! Now is where I'm starting to write more detailed, I'm sure you've noticed. The next chapter, I wrote during the last few months of school this year, so it's pretty fresh. I'm sure you'll enjoy it, if you've stuck with this story until now! ^_^ Thanks for that! Oh, and please review!

Oh, and don't forget, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! ^.^


	11. The Brothers' Reunion

All right, here's chapter 11. Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. ^^;; Mom's been hogging the computer for a while 'cause my cousins, great aunt, and grandmother are in Panama, so it's our only way of communicating with them. *sighs* Anyway, here's the next chap.! Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, especially Kurama and Youko. Nor do I own Leiko. I do own Rose though.

Enjoy!!

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---3 days later

Kurama ran into the foreboding cave, ignoring Broms' cries to come back. Entering the main cave, he was greeted by an empty cavern. Empty, except for his brother, who sat, smirking, facing him.

"Shuuichi. I'd like to welcome you into my temporary abode, but I'm sure you came here with other reasons."

"Cut the crap, Youko. Where's Leiko?"

"Straight to the point, eh, baby brother?" Youko sneered, his smirk growing slightly.

Gritting his teeth in both irritation and anxiety, he took a step towards his brother. Grinning evilly, Youko raised his left index finger. "Ah, ah, ah… Not so fast, little brother. We wouldn't want your precious princess to have an accident, now would we?"

Kurama contained his shock. "Heh, so you figured it out…"

"Of course I figured it out, fool. I'm no novice. Apart from her yelling insults at me, insults only the royal family use, all I had to look at were her hands." Youko snapped, mildly glaring at his younger brother.

Kurama dropped his stance, the confusion clear on his face. "Her hands? What about them?"

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Youko soon burst out laughing. His mocking laugh echoed loudly throughout the cavern, as well as in Kuramas' ears.

"Heh, foolish little brother! All you had to do was look at a person's hands, and you would be able to tell if that person worked or not."

"What exactly do you mean?" Kurama forced himself to ask, actually wanting to learn something other than killing from his older brother.

"Take a worker, for example. Their hands are cut and calloused. A baker has burns not only on his hands, but on his arms as well. As for a princess, their hands are smooth and soft, no matter what."

"Surely you've noticed that she is no ordinary princess." Kurama sad smugly, thinking that he had finally outsmarted his brother in something.

"I noticed. Apart from her wearing mens clothing, she's not that bad of a fist fighter."

Kurama couldn't help but growl in irritation and frustration. Not only did his brother know about Leiko, but it seemed as if he were 3 steps ahead of him. Chuckling, Youko leaned back in his chair. Crossing his legs, he neatly folded his hands and placed them gently on his legs.

"You amuse me, Kurama. You're attempts to outsmart me are pitiful. But, we digress. I'm sure you're wondering where your precious princess is. Allow me to show you…"

Standing up, Youko walked out of the cavern and into another one. With great reluctance, Kurama hesitantly followed. Upon entering the following cavern/room, his jaw practically dropped in shock at what he saw.

Leiko was hanging upside down, wrapped in vines, from a stalagmite. She had a gag over her mouth, keeping her from saying anything. She was hanging over a large, deep pool of sea water. Shark fins were visible circling in the water below. But, the most shocking part of this whole thing was that there were 2 Leikos'.

Laughing, Youko grinned evilly at his baby brother. "Now then little brother, guess which one is your woman, and I will set her free. Guess wrong, and you will watch your woman become shark food. You may ask one question only. The clock is ticking, little Shuuichi."

Kurama walked forward slightly, his eyes shifting between the two Leikos'. Turning slightly, he glared at his brother, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, his eyes closed as well.

"How am I to hear the response if their mouths' are covered?"

Opening his eyes, Youko glared at him. With a meager wave of his hand, one of the vines binding each girl removed the gags, which fell to the water below.

"Kurama! Thank goodness! Get me out of here!" The one on the left cried, her encased body wiggling noticeably.

"Hey! Shut up!" The one on the right shouted, glaring coldly at her 'twin'. She looked down…er…up at Kurama. "Don't listen to her, Kurama! Just trust yourself! I know you can tell the difference!"

"Shut up!"

"Who are you telling to shut up?!"

"Who else? You!"

"Why you little bitch! I should wring your neck!"

"How dare you call me that! The only bitch around here is YOU!"

"Oh yeah!? Then PROVE IT!"

"I would if that pig Youko would let me down from here! I'd kick his ass along with yours!"

"Don't you dare call him that!"

"I just did!"

"Enough." Youko spoke suddenly, walking up next to his brother as he glared up at them. "You two will remain silent until my brother has had a chance to ask his question. If you have a problem with it, then say it to my face."

"I have a problem with it…" A voice echoed behind them.

Upon turning, Kurama stared, shocked beyond belief. "Leiko…"

Leikos' clothes were completely ragged, cuts littering her entire figure. She leaned heavily against the cave wall, as if she barely had any energy left. Youko merely watched her, not saying anything. Letting go of the wall, she staggered over to Kurama, only to collapse halfway there. Running forward, Kurama caught her before she hit the ground.

"K-kurama… Your…brother….he put me in a trench like place… I-I had to climb out… I was in there for…I don't know how long…."

"It has been 3 days. Or, to be more specific; 2 and a half days." Youko replied, having his eyes closed.

Briefly glaring at his brother, Kurama returned his worried gaze to Leiko, who was on the verge of passing out. ( -skips a part here- o.o ) As Leikos' body went limp, Kurama clutched her body tightly, his shoulders shaking in anger. Raising his head, his eyes extremely narrow, he glared at his older brother.

"How could you?!"

Glaring back at him, Youko raised his left hand and the imitation Leiko on the left fell to her doom with the sharks below with a high pitched scream.

'You should leave, before I decide to kill you both." He replied darkly, his back facing his brother.

Picking up the real Leikos' unconscious body into his arms, Kurama slowly made his way out of the cave.

"Watch your back, brother. I shall return."

Glancing over his shoulder, wearing a mysterious smirk, Youko replied, "The same to you, baby brother. I may decide to kidnap your precious Leiko again."

"If you do, then I'll kill you…"

"I'd like to see you try."

Ignoring his brother, Kurama slowly made his way back to his ship. Completely oblivious to his surroundings, plus the bombardment of questions from his crew, he went into his chambers and closed the door.

---After Kurama left

Making sure that his brother was gone, Youko turned back to the remaining Leiko who hung from the stalagmite still.

"Well done, Rose. No one would have suspected that it was a water clone of yours."

In a flash, Leiko turned into Rose, who smiled meekly down at him. "You're welcome…. Now, do you think you can get me down from here?"

Chuckling, Youko jumped into the air, cut the vines, and both landed on their feet on the cavern floor.

Turning to him, Rose asked, "Did you have a point in what you did to your brother?"

"Of course. I wouldn't waste my time otherwise."

"But…he seems like a kind-hearted man… Why be so cruel to him?"

With a dark look on his face, Youko turned away. "I have my reasons…"

Rose walked in front of him, a worried look on her face. "Youko, I know this doesn't have to do with your father. Although I've never met him, I know he's too kind for that! Please, tell me!"

Glaring at her, he walked around her and towards the cave exit. "That is none of your business."

"But, Youko, I-"

"Enough." He stopped, glaring back at her coldly. "We will not discuss this any further."

Sighing, she walked up next to him, her eyes downcast. "Very well…have it your way… I just wanted to help…" She walked past him and disappeared from view.

Youko remained silent, staring off in the direction she had gone. With a small secret smile, he said, "You've helped enough already…" With that said, he followed her to wherever she had gone. He needed to get out of that place, and he knew where he would go next.

-------------------

Alll right, and that's the end of the chapter. Yes, I know it was rushed....badly. xP And I know there aren't as many details in this as the other ones. But, I can assure you that the other chapters have more detail. x.x Sorry, again...but the main idea counts. ^^;; Please review!


	12. Back Home

Since I know I may not be here a while, I'm posting this really long chapter up as well. *Shrugs* What can I say? I like to post things in doubles. Anyway, THIS is the chapter where the gang, most of them, finally show up. Hiei isn't involved in this story though, so sorry to Hiei fans. I might make him in the other one I'm writing, that's like the backside to this story. Maybe, it's too early to know at the moment. Anyway, only...well, you'll see soon enough.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, especially Kurama. Nor do I own Leiko. I do own Rose, though.

I hope you enjoy!! ^^

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---4 months later

Leiko had recovered once she had had enough rest and food. She had continued her training with Kurama, and was coming along nicely. Over the past few months, they had encountered life-threatening storms and adventures. No one had heard any news about Youko, or what he was planning. It was known that he had left the cave and went to another hideout, but that was all.

Leiko sighed heavily as she stared out at the seemingly endless waves. The crew was below deck, eating in the mess hall. Kurama was in his cabin, reading a book he had most likely stolen. Sighing again, she looked up at the darkening sky.

As the sun set, darkness began to grow overhead. Small white stars began to liter the blackness as the sun sank further into the horizon. Leaning heavily against the rail, she rest her head in the palm of her right hand, her expression vacant.

'_I wonder what my parents are doing… Probably partying like there's no tomorrow… Cht, they always hated me. But…what about my friends? Do they miss me?'_ Images of her friends flashed across her mind. Sighing once again, she lowered her head to where it was resting directly on the wooden railing, her eyes watching the setting sun with complete boredom, and slight sadness.

"Are you all right?"

Standing up straight while turning, Leiko noticed Kurama walking towards her, his boots echoing on the deck.

Turning back to face the setting sun, she sighed. "Yeah…I'm all right…"

Walking up next to her, Kurama gazed at the sun, his mind elsewhere.

"You know, I was wondering…" Leiko said suddenly, causing Kurama to turn his gaze to her. "It would be weird to go back home…even for a little visit… But…"

"Do you miss them?" Kurama asked quietly, returning his gaze to the still setting sun.

"Yeah, I guess so… But, I wouldn't want to stay." Kurama looked at her, mildly surprised. Sensing his confusion without even looking at him, she continued. "There are too many rules. They don't let me be myself." She turned to him slightly with a small smile on her face. "Besides, I'd rather be here with you. It's rather fun to be on the run from the law, when I'm supposed to be in charge of enforcing it. It's a cool twist in fate."

Chuckling, Kurama turned to her fully. With a small smile still on his lips, he said, "Then let's go back. But, just for a visit."

Leikos' eyes shone brightly as the sun finally finished setting and the night engulfed them.

"Really?"

"Of course. I would like to see what has become of a few of my old hiding spots as a child."

"I have a few of my own. Maybe we could show each other?"

"Maybe. Now, let's be off."

---1 week later

Wearing heavy black cloaks, both Kurama and Leiko snuck off of the ship and onto the wet sand. Stumbling slightly, she managed to regain her balance.

"Guess it's been a while since I was on land…" She murmured, before running easily across the beach, Kurama right behind her.

Running towards a rock formation, they paused. Peering around the rock formation, Leiko cursed silently.

"What is it?" Kurama asked in a voice below a whisper.

"A festival. My father created it in honor of himself…the fat bastard… C'mon, I found an opening."

Quietly passing behind the happy bystanders, they began their trek up the cobblestone street, raising their hoods so as not to be recognized. As they left behind the crowded streets, Leiko couldn't help but lean against a near by building.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah… I've never walked to or from the castle that much… Just when I was running away or something…"

Just then, a shadow dropped down from above, pointing an orange bladed and hilted sword at the cloaked figures of Leiko and Kurama. Also wearing a heavy black cloak, he motioned them back into an alleyway, away from the far off crowds. Once alone, the figure stopped, and Leiko and Kurama turned around, facing him.

"Who are you?" The voice was a young man's.

Leiko recognized it immediately. "Kuwabara?"

The figure jumped noticeably. His sword hand shook, giving Kurama a chance to knock it out of his hand, disarming him. The sword dissipated into nothing as it flew away from its master, though no one noticed. With his whole body shaking, Kuwabara took a tentative step forward, completely unsure of this.

"Leiko…? Is that you under there?" His voice shook, as if he were a scared child.

Pulling down her hood, Leiko smiled up at him. "Yep. It's me. It's good to see you again, Kuwabara."

Taking an anxious step forward, Kuwabaras' hood flew off as he scooped her up in his arms in a massive bear hug.

"It's been so long! We've missed you!" He placed her gently back on the ground. "What happened? Everyone thinks you died when those pirates attacked…"

"As you can see, she is very much alive, thanks to me." Kurama said quietly, leaning against one of the alleyway walls with his arms crossed.

Kuwabara glanced at him. "And who the heck are you?"

"He's the one that kidnapped me." Leiko said with a smile.

"WHAT?!" He exclaimed, turning angrily to the calm Kurama. Forcefully grabbing the front of his shirt, he raised a fist to punch him. Kuramas' eyes narrowed sharply, his hand slowly reaching for his sword.

Seeing the mess, Leiko ran over, placing her hands gently on Kuwabaras' arm. "Calm down, Kuwabara! It's okay!"

He glanced at her. "But you told me that he was the one that kidnapped you!"

"Yeah, he did, but he treated me really well!" But added as an undertone, "After he starved me for about a week…"

Mildly glaring at her, Kurama looked back at the infuriated Kuwabara. With obvious reluctance, Kuwabara slowly released him. Quickly moving between the two to ensure that they wouldn't fight again, Leiko continued.

"So, how are things at the club?"

"Horrible." Kuwabara replied, his attention fully concentrated on her once again. "It's been a mess ever since you disappeared… Yusuke's been really mopey and stuff too…"

"Yusuke?" Kurama asked suddenly, his eyes opening slightly at the name. "Yusuke Urameshi?"

"Yeah. You know my brother?" Leiko asked, slightly surprised.

Kurama faltered. "Brother? You mean…"

"Yeah. My full name's Leiko Urameshi. I thought you knew that?"

'_Now I see the resemblance…'_ He thought, kicking himself inwardly for not noticing it earlier. "Yes. We used to be friends when we were younger. I haven't seen him in years."

Grabbing his wrist, Leiko ran out of the alleyway and up the cobblestone street. "So, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Stunned, Kuwabara ran clumsily to keep up. "H-hey! Wait up!!!"

--------

Yusuke sighed heavily; his eyes downcast as he sat slumped over in his small wooden throne. He sighed again, this time out of boredom, not knowing what to do.

"Yusuke!" A feminine voice resounded loudly just before the doors banged open.

Yusuke jumped from his seat, surprised by the sudden noise. A teenage girl ran in, stopping at the foot of the stairs that led straight up to his small throne.

"What the hell?!" Yusuke shouted angrily, marching down the steps and stopping before her. "Who the hell are you, and what the hell are you doing here?!"

Leiko glared coldly at him, the smile gone from her face. Placing her hands on her hips, she said, "Well, excuuuuuuse me, princess! Don't let me pee in your cheerios, Ani!"

Yusuke took a step back in surprise, then took two steps forward in anger, getting in her face. Squinting his eyes, he glared at her, inspecting her closely.

"Do I know you…?"

Leikos' left eye twitched. "Did I not just call you my BROTHER?!" She shouted, her fists clenched and shaking.

Yusuke stood up straight again, thinking about it. "Nope… Not ringing any bells…"

Leiko reared back suddenly, her right fist clenched tightly. "You idiot!" She shouted, throwing her fist.

The punch hit Yusuke on his left cheek, sending him flying backwards and crashing into the wooden throne, smashing it to pieces. Struggling to sit up, Yusuke placed a hand on the left side of his face, his eyes on Leiko.

"Nobody can hit me that hard and make it hurt, besides Keiko, except…Leiko!" He scrambled to his feet, slipping on the broken pieces of wood. Managing to escape the wreckage, he ran over to his sister and hugged her tightly, not realizing how much he really missed her until then.

Leiko blinked in surprise. "Ani…since when did you hug people?"

Opening his eyes, Yusuke saw two pairs of eyes watching him curiously. Hiding a blush of embarrassment, he straightened up, clearing his throat slightly. His eyes traveled from the two men behind his little sister. One was Kuwabara, but he was trying to catch his breath still. The other was a flaming red head with dazzling emerald green eyes. Something about him jogged his memory. Side stepping his sister, he approached the stranger. Peering closer, memories resurfaced.

"Kurama? Is that you?"

Kurama smiled. "Yes. It's been a while, Yusuke."

Yusuke's face brightened. Outstretching his hand, he shook his old friend's hand firmly.

"Oh, he remembers Kurama, but he doesn't remember me…" Leiko grumbled, crossing her arms somewhat sassily.

Yusuke turned to his sister, confused. "Hold up… How do you know Kurama?"

"He's the one that kidnapped me." She replied simply, as if it were obvious.

Yusuke looked back at Kurama. "You kidnapped my sister?"

Kurama gave a meager shrug, along with an apologetic look. "At the time, I was unaware that she was your sister."

Yusuke shook his head sadly. "And you were supposed to be the smart one…"

Ignoring that one comment, Kurama changed the topic. "Anyway, how have things been since Leiko disappeared?"

"HEY! I was supposed to ask that!" Leiko exclaimed, glaring at him.

"Terrible." Yusuke replied, ignoring his sister's outburst. He sat down heavily on a wooden crate. "Father's gotten more fat, mother's more of a stuck up bitch, and they act as if you've never existed, Leiko." He looked up at her with sad eyes. "And the worst part of it is… I'm not sure if it's out of grief, or if they've finally lost it…"

The anger within Leiko had dwindled away to nothing. She felt a strange sense of relief, yet also great sadness. She sat next to her brother and hugged him tightly. An idea hit her suddenly.

"Kurama! Can we take my brother with us?"

Taken aback by the sudden question, he thought momentarily about it. "I don't see the problem with it… Although, it would be odd if my brother appeared, and/or kidnapped you again…"

Yusuke looked up suddenly. "Again? You mean Youko kidnapped Leiko before?"

"Yes, but-"

"WAIT! I just realized something!" Leiko blurted out, standing up straight and looking about, as if searching for something, or someone. "Where's Rose?"

Yusuke and Kuwabara exchanged glances. Noticing the silent exchange, Leiko turned a worried glance at them.

"What?"

Yusuke sighed heavily. He couldn't bring himself to say it. Kuwabara, thankfully, responded.

"She's gone."

Leiko suddenly felt thunderstruck. "Gone? What do you mean gone?!"

Well, you both disappeared around the same time… You first, then her a few days later…" Kuwabara continued, feeling somewhat ashamed of himself. "She was really worried for you when you first disappeared… Then she just mysteriously poofed… it was really weird."

Leiko stood, unmoving. The one person, besides her brother, that she really wanted to see was her best friend, Rose. Known as the giving princess, her real name being Nozomi, she was basically the motherly one of the group. Well, more motherly than the other three. Seeing his sister's condition, Yusuke stood up and gently led her over to the wooden crate he had just been sitting on and helped her sit.

"Do you know what happened to her?" Kurama asked, not knowing who it was, but wanting to see Leikos' smile once again.

"Yeah, we do." Kuwabara replied, crossing his arms as he turned his attention to Kurama.

There was a moment's pause in which no one spoke. Then, "Who was it?"

"It was your brother; Youko." Yusuke replied, turning to his old friend with a serious, yet solemn, look on his face. "He's the one that took her." He sighed heavily. "And the sad thing is, we don't know if she's dead or alive…"

Leiko suddenly stood up, her face completely expressionless. Yusuke looked at her, knowing his sister all too well by now. He bent his knees slightly, in case he needed to hold her back.

"I thought there was something weird about it…" She said quietly, though not to anyone in particular.

All three guys glanced at each other questioningly, all wondering the same question.

"It had to be… It just had to be…" She looked up at Kurama. "Kurama, do you remember when you last came to get me back? That there were two mes' hanging from those pointy thingies?"

"They're called 'stalagmites'. And yes, I do."

Leiko nodded, more to herself than anybody else. "Then I showed up. It **had** to have been it…"

"What had to be it?" Kuwabara asked, not able to take her repeating that one saying over and over again.

Leiko glanced at him. "It had to have been Nozomi. I'm sure of it."

"What?!" All three guys cried at once, taken aback.

"Yeah, think about it… When we were younger, we all had these weird powers. Well, everyone but me… Yusuke had his Spirit Gun, Kuwabara had his Spirit Sword, and Nozomi was able to control water."

"Yeah…you're right!" Yusuke replied, having thought about it. "Yeah, she can control water…"

"Yeah, but how does that explain there being two 'you's' before you showed up?" Kuwabara asked, pondering it.

"Maybe she changed her own image, and she was one of the ones hanging from those pointy thingies, and the other one was a clone?"

"What? Like a water clone?"

"Yeah, something like that!" Leiko replied, nodding. She was definitely back to her old self. "She's alive! She's definitely alive!"

Kurama couldn't help but chuckle. "May I ask you something?"

"Hm? Sure, what is it?" Leiko asked, confused at why he was laughing.

"Was she pretty?"

"Was who pretty?" ( Leikos' expression: o.O;; )

"Your friend. Was she pretty?"

"She was beautiful!" Kuwabara blurted out, then, blushing madly, fell extremely quiet.

Leiko glanced at him. "What about Yukina?"

Kuwabara didn't answer, being too flustered to do so.

"Yeah! I remember a time when I even had a crush on her! Well, before Keiko found out and beat me up about it. She even told Nozomi about it, who laughed, and said she wasn't interested in guys like me." He shrugged. "Ah well, I'm with Keiko now, anyway."

"Yeah, she was really pretty, even if she didn't think so…" Leiko added, feeling a tang of sadness as she remembered the past.

"If what you're saying is true, then my brother would not have killed her."

"What?" All three of them asked, looking up at him questioningly.

Kurama couldn't help but chuckle once again. "My brother does not capture a girl unless she is beautiful, or very pretty. He wouldn't waste his time. And, if she's as beautiful as you say she is, he would want to try and take her as his own."

"You mean…?"

"Yes, exactly. But, since you are sure that she is alive, you have nothing to fear." He reassured, smiling at her.

She sighed heavily. "Great…" She noticed a bit of light coming over the horizon. "Hey! The sun's coming up! We gotta go!"

Kurama nodded, then turned to both Yusuke and Kuwabara. "You are both welcome in coming with us; however, tonight is out of the question. We shall return in a week, does that sound good?"

"Sure! It'll give me time to pack and do other stuff."

"Okay then! See you guys in a week!" Leiko called out, waving to her friend and brother as she pushed Kurama out of the door and they disappeared.

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And that's a wrap! (Always wanted to say that. lol) I hope you liked this chapter, and are pleased that Yusuke and Kuwabara are finally in it.

Oh! I have to tell you guys something! I was honestly completely blank when I wrote that 'reunion' of Leiko and Yusuke. I had to ask Leiko (or Lacey) herself. So, if you laughed at all in that, thank her for it. It was mostly her dialogue ideas. (Just for that little part. o.o) I just managed to work it in there. lol

Anyways, thanks again for reading, and please, please, PLEASE review! ^_^


	13. Secrets

All right, I was bored, and tired, so I decided to update. ^^ I was going to wait a bit longer, but seeing how school starts again the week after next, I want to finish uploading As Red as a Rose before it starts the 24th. x.x I'm not looking forward to it, but am at the same time. My last year in High School. ^_^ I can't wait!

Anyways, this is the chapter where I come in the most. Well....besides...never mind. But...yeah. ^^;; I know I'm not making a whole lot of sense right now, so I'm just going to continue before I end up babbling.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, especially Kurama. Nor do I own Leiko. But, I do own Rose/Nozomi. (NO relation to my screen name either!)

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---1 week later

Lightning streaked across the darkening sky as the storm approached the harbor. Standing on top of a cliff over looking the bay, Yusuke and Kuwabara stood, dressed in black cloaks, staring out at sea. The wind howled and whistled around them, whipping their cloaks around. Both men waited patiently, watching the horizon closely for a sign of anything unusual. Seeing a ship come up on the horizon suddenly signaled to them that their time in waiting was almost over.

Docking the ship in a large cave near the beach, Kurama hastily jumped over board and ran to speak with Yusuke and Kuwabara.

"I'm sorry to inform you, but we will not be able to leave the island for a few days. This storm is rough, and will last for 4 days, at the very least."

"No problem." Yusuke replied, smiling as he nodded in understanding. "Oh! But, you guys are gunna need some place to stay, right?"

"That would be appreciated greatly…" Kurama replied with a small and grateful smile.

Yusuke nodded once again. "Don't worry about it. Now, make sure your ship is secure and anchored here, so that way, if the tide comes in, it won't drift away. Then, get your men out of the ship and over here, and from there, we'll lead them to the castle."

Nodding, Kurama went to work, ignoring the fact that he was taking orders from someone else. Though the fact that it was one of his best friends made him actually go through with it.

--Meanwhile, at the Club hideout…

Rose stumbled slightly, blinded by her tears. Entering the old club, she glanced about, hoping to find someone there, for there usually was. Unfortunately, there was none. Feeling another wave of sadness wash over her, she held her breath in an attempt to hold back her tears before she walked forward, aiming for the middle of the room. Once she got there, she sat down in defeat on a wooden crate that was there, allowing the tears to flow freely and heavily. She suddenly felt alone and empty inside, which made her cry even more. "Where is everyone…?" She whispered, trying not to sob as she said something. "I feel as if I need a hug…"

--3 hours later

All of the crew members of Kurama's ship were currently residing on the top level of the castle. Yusuke had hand selected the servants that would serve them all, and had them sworn to secrecy about his sister. They happily obliged, all thinking him a wise king-to-be already. (They obviously don't know Yusuke. o.o) As the party goers continued chatting and laughing at their own bad jokes, Leiko suddenly remembered something. Maneuvering her way through the crowd, she managed to get to her brother and Kurama.

"Hey, ani, I forgot my sword back at the club. I'm gunna go and get it, okay?"

"You want someone to go with you?" He asked, looking at her worriedly.

She shook her head. "Nah, I'll be fine. No one will see me, anyway. See ya!" She left, closing the door behind her so that the noise wouldn't leak into the hall.

--At the Club

Rose sat on the crate, hugging her knees tightly, resting her forehead against her knees. Even after a few hours, tears still poured down her face, though not as thickly as before. She sniffled every now and then, feeling too miserable to actually do anything else. A door opening near by meant nothing to her, and neither did the footsteps that followed and that approached.

As Leiko entered, she thought she heard someone sniffling. Ignoring the small noise, she continued with her walk anyway, thinking that it was nothing of great importance. Entering the main hall of the club room, she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes locked onto the figure huddled up on top of a crate. But, it wasn't that it was a person there that got to her, it was the person itself. Long light brown hair, and a slender body was all that could be seen at the moment, but even still, Leiko knew who it was.

"Nozomi?"

Rose lifted her head immediately, hearing that familiar voice. Her watery eyes could barely make out the form of her best friend.

"Nozomi, is that you?" Leiko asked again, practically running forward to meet her.

Nozomi got off of the crate and hugged her friend tightly, not able to contain the joy, and still sadness that was inside of her.

"Leiko! I've missed you so much... I thought you were kidnapped… I saw the pirates running away…" She said quietly, tears slowly trailing down her face.

"I was, but I'm temporarily back. I'm leaving again after this storm disappears…"

Noticing and remembering that her friend had been crying when she had entered, she changed the topic.

"Nozomi, are you okay?"

No reply.

"C'mon, Rose, you can tell me… We're best friends, aren't we?"

Rose gave a muffled "mhm…", hugging her friend even tighter.

"Then, what's the matter?"

Nozomi stood up straight, and forced herself to smile and wipe away her tears. "Nothing, I'm just happy to be back, that's all. I was wondering where everyone was…"

"Oh, we're at the castle. Top floor."

"Do you think it's safe for you to be in the castle walls? Your parents seem to be happy with you gone and all, and if they see you, they may order your death…" Rose continued worriedly, glancing towards the door.

"Nah. That's why we're on the top floor. Dad's not able to go up that high, and mom just doesn't care. So, we're good. Oh yeah! C'mon! Yusuke's waiting, and I don't want him to worry."

Nodding silently, Rose could do nothing but give a fake smile and follow her friend. She didn't want to speak her mind, not to Leiko. She was her best friend, yes, but they had made a vow, and was afraid that she may have broken it. Leiko suddenly grabbed her wrist and began dragging her along.

"You're walking too slow. C'mon!"

--Back at the "party"

Leiko opened the door and entered. Being shy, unless she knew the people, Rose faltered at the door.

"I…I don't know, Leiko… Maybe….maybe I should just go home?"

Turning back upon hearing her friend speak in a while, she glared at her. "Oh, no you don't! You get your ass in there, or I'll drag you in myself!"

Taken aback by her threat, Rose had barely taken a step forward before she faltered again. With her lower lip trembling, she said in a low voice, "I…I can't…"

Moving behind her, Leiko gave her friend a massive shove and pushed her straight through the door and into someone.

"Oops! Sorry!" A pause. "Hey! You're kind of cute!"

"Uh…sorry!" Nozomi quickly said, blushing in embarrassment before running off, away from the people.

"Hey! Wait! …aww… Oh well." The man said, before going off to talk with his crew mates.

Snatching her retreating friends' wrist before she had a chance to make a dash for the door, Leiko practically dragged Rose over to Yusuke and Kuwabara, who were talking to one another about different things that may happen whilst at sea.

"Those two have been worried sick about you! It's the least you can do to tell them personally that you're okay!" She practically snapped, almost to their destination.

Nozomi perked up at that. "H-how did you know…?"

"They told me. Hey! Ani!"

Yusuke looked up, and, at the sight of who his sister was practically dragging caused him to lose grip on his glass, so it fell to the floor and scattered into a thousand glittering pieces. Wondering what had happened, Kuwabara looked in the direction that Yusuke was staring dumbfounded, and his face paled quickly.

Both stood up at once. "Nozomi!"

Yusuke walked forward and hugged her tightly, happy to see her back.

Hesitating slightly, Nozomi returned the hug, closing her eyes while doing so. _'It's been so long since I've been with these guys… I've missed them so much…'_ She hugged Kuwabara next, voluntarily this time, actually feeling happy that she was back with the group.

"Where've you been? We've been so worried ever since you were kidnapped…" Kuwabara said as he hugged her tightly, feeling relieved to see her safe.

She remained silent, not wanting to mention it just yet.

"And who might this be?" A voice spoke suddenly, someone walking into the group.

"Ah! Kurama!" Leiko cried, running over and practically jumping on him to hug him.

Nozomi had looked up as soon as the word 'Kurama' was spoken. Her cerulean colored eyes fixed themselves on him, never leaving his eyes.

"Kurama! This is my friend, the one we were talking about! This is Nozomi!" Leiko said excitedly, jumping up and down slightly.

Kurama merely looked back at Nozomi, seeing that she was indeed hiding something. Walking forward, he outstretched his hand to her.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Nozomi. I've heard great things about you."

A pause, where she only stared at him, as if debating whether she should do this or not. Finally, she gave him a firm handshake. "I wish I could say the same. I only…just got back…" She finished the sentence quietly as she lowered her gaze to the ground, though he heard it loud and clear.

He could tell that she was a very docile person, but would defend anyone that she cared for in an instant. "I can see why my brother kidnapped you and kept you alive."

She quickly raised her head up and stared at him in shock, surprised he knew. Yet, she could not bring herself to say anything. _'I was right… He is a kind hearted person…'_

She felt her sadness raising up inside of her, and felt as if she were about to cry once again. Shutting her eyes tightly, she quickly grabbed his wrist and ran off, dragging him behind her. She went out of the room entirely and entered a new one, closing the door behind them both. This unexpected action, naturally, left the others completely surprised and confused.

--30 minutes later

Kurama re-entered the room and made his way over to the waiting group. He smiled at Leiko when she waved, yet felt as if he couldn't trust himself to keep Nozomi's secret.

"Yo! Welcome back!" Yusuke greeted him as he rejoined them.

Kurama merely nodded, smiling a friendly smile at them all.

"So…what did you and Rose talk about?" Leiko blurted out her question before she could help herself.

Knowing this was coming, he had prepared an answer ahead of time. "I can not tell you."

"What?! How come?"

"I gave my word that I wouldn't, and I will not. And nothing you say will make me say it." He replied sternly, looking dead into her eye.

"Nothing?" She asked, getting a bit closer, looking up at him innocently.

"Nothing. Nothing at all." He repeated, folding his arms as he watched her.

"How about this?" She asked, before she pressed her lips against his.

A chorus of cheers and hoots erupted in the room, all the pirates cheering wildly for their captain and his newly attained girlfriend. (Although everyone, except Yusuke and Kuwabara, knew that they liked each other, but they kept it to themselves.) Yusuke could do nothing but stare, petrified, at the sight in front of him. Kuwabara was surprised also, but not as much as Yusuke.

Standing on her tip toes to be able to reach his lips in the first place, Leiko now backed down, returning to her normal height, a light blush on her cheeks. Kurama stared at her, practically dumbfounded. With a deeper blush staining his cheeks, he suddenly felt as if his brain had been scattered everywhere, and thus making him unable to think.

"Are you going to tell me now?" She asked, blushing even more.

"No! This is between me and Nozomi. As her friend, you should respect that, not demand to know everything about her." He said firmly, snapping out of it, however temporarily.

Leiko looked defeated. "Aww…fine then…"

He turned to Yusuke, and saw the death glare he was giving him. Knowing that he was currently not wanted anymore, he said, "I will be heading off to bed now. Nozomi said she went to sleep in the next room to the right from here, but she didn't want to be disturbed, unless of an emergency. Good night." And he left.

"Bye, Kurama!" Leiko called after him, waving.

Yusuke grabbed her right arm roughly. "Don't wave to that jerk!"

"How come? What'd he do?" She asked, confused.

He glared at her coldly. "Why'd you kiss him?!" He asked, obviously changing the topic.

Leiko snorted. "Cht, cause I can."

"Don't gimme that excuse! I want to know why you kissed him!!!"

"Why the hell should I?! You're not the boss of me!"

"Sometimes I wish I were! He's not your type!"

"How the hell would you know?! Have you been with me for the past year and a half? I don't think so!" Leiko shouted, getting in his face as she said it.

Turning abruptly, she left the room and slammed the door shut, ignoring her brother's cries for her to come back. Taking a deep breath outside the door, she decided that she would take the chance and talk to her best friend. They hadn't 'spoken' spoken since before they both had gotten kidnapped, so now would be a good chance to re-pave that road.

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And that's the end of it. Hope you liked it, and hope you review! Please, don't just read it! T.T I need to know your opinions and stuff, so that I know what I need to work on and stuff... Please?

Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you're excited about the next chapter! See ya! ^^


	14. Farewells

I'm not gunna beg for reviews, so I'm just gunna go straight to the story. Only 1 person is reviewing anyway, and I'm grateful. Now, this one is a bit pervy, so when you get to a certain part of it, keep an open mind. Now, without further ado...

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, especially Kurama. Nor do I own Leiko. I do own Rose/Nozomi though.

Hope you enjoy!

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--2 weeks later

Nozomi stood on the shore of the hidden harbor, giving her best friend a hug.

"You be careful, okay?"

"I will." Stepping back, Leiko gave her best friend a worried look. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us? I'm sure we'd have a lot of fun."

Shaking her head, Nozomi still had the sad smile. "No, I'll stay on land. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Really."

"Okay…if you're sure…" A pause. "Hey, Nozomi?"

"Yeah?"

"What was it that Youko did to make you so sad?"

Nozomi stared at her, surprised. But, it was her best friend asking. And, she wasn't just asking just to ask, she truly wanted to know.

Looking down at her folded hands, Nozomi pondered for a moment. She wasn't going to tell her everything, just a little bit. That wouldn't hurt, would it?

"He… Well, he…"

"He stole your heart?" Kurama asked, coming over to the two of them.

"Yes…he did…" She said quietly, smiling slightly at the fond memories.

"But, then he grew tired of you, and dumped you back here. I see how it is! That bastard!" Leiko popped in, clenching her right fist while holding it up slightly.

Nozomi had jumped when she said that, and looked as if she were worried and hurt by her words, even if they weren't for her.

"N-no! That's not true! We were fine, and then, the next morning, he said that for my own safety, he would drop me off back at home. He said that he had kept me from home long enough, and that it was time for me to go back…" Her voice faltered, remembering when it happened. "And that he was only trying to protect me from whatever was after me…"

"Something was after you?!" Leiko exclaimed, surprised. "But…why would they go after you?! You're too nice! Not to mention that you rarely defend yourself!"

Nozomis' eyes narrowed. "How the hell do you think I survived with pirates so long?! Huh?! Just by being a pansy?! No way! I defended myself fairly well over there!" She practically yelled, somewhat fueled by anger. She sighed. "Yes, but Youko sometimes, if not most of the time, protected me from the others…"

"Yes, that sounds like something my brother would do. He claims a woman, in this case, you, and protects her from any other man. Although, the fact that someone going after you has caused him to release you once again is worrisome…" Kurama said, looking at Leiko. "It makes me wonder if I should do the same…"

"No way in hell are you leaving me here!!! I'm getting my ass on your ship and riding it all the way to where ever it goes!"

Kuramas' face burned a bright red as he heard those words. He tried to look away, but, having keen eyes, Nozomi noticed and smirked.

"Are you going to eat on it, too?"

"Duh! Where else am I gunna eat?!"

"What about lick it? Will you lick it?"

Leiko paused. "You know, I think I've already licked it, but it was maybe one, maybe two times…"

Nozomi was trying to control her laughter. "Is there anything else you want to do on or with his ship?"

"Nah, I think by then it'd be really dull and boring…" She paused, looking at her friend cautiously. "Why are you asking me all these questions?"

At this point, Nozomi couldn't hold back her laughter any longer, so she ended up bursting out with it. Kurama was trying to turn away, his face almost as bright a red as his hair, but it was clearly visible, even though he tried. Leiko stared at her friend, feeling the anger that she was at the end of her friend's joke.

With tears in her eyes, Nozomi asked, "Hey, Kurama, you heard all that, right? She thinks it's going to be all dull and boring after a while! Do you have anything to say about it?"

With his face now even brighter than his hair, Kurama wouldn't dare show his face to either of them.

Still laughing, Nozomi managed to ask, "Do you know how big his ship is, Leiko?"

"It's right behind you. It's obviously huge." She replied, glaring at her now with her arms crossed. "What's your point?"

Taking a deep breath, Nozomi was able to get her laughter under slight control. Still giggling, though, she said, "So, you're going to get your 'ass' on his 'ship' and ride it until where ever it ends up? Don't you think that if you do it all at once, you'd get bored really quickly?"

Staring at her friend, she saw her friend still laughing. After blinking a few times, the thought finally struck her. With her face now burning, almost as bright as Kuramas', she snapped, "You perv! How could you even trick me like that?!"

Nozomi burst out laughing once more, not able to contain it any longer. "You just kept going! I was wondering when you would catch on! Ha ha ha!"

"It's NOT funny!" (Leikos' expression: x///x;; )

"Like hell it's NOT!"

After a few minutes of laughing, Nozomi finally calmed down. "Ah, I'm going to miss you, Leiko." She hugged her friend, giggling a little.

"Yeah, yeah…" A pause. "I'll miss you too, Rose. I really will." She hugged her friend tightly, not wanting to let her go.

Letting go of her best friend, Nozomi now turned to Kurama. She sighed, then gave a real smile, though it was a little sad. "Kurama…take good care of her, okay? Or else, you'll have to answer to me."

He chuckled and welcomed her hug of farewell. "Of course I will, even if my life depended on it."

"You're life **will** depend on it." Nozomi whispered, hugging him tightly before letting him go. "Oh, and…if you see Youko out there, tell him…" A pause. She looked sad suddenly, but as if she were thinking. She looked back up at him with a small smile. "Tell him…thank you…for everything…"

Nodding, Kurama gave her a small pat on her head. "I will. It's the least I can do for…you know…"

She nodded. Leiko, on the other hand, was confused. "What the hell are you guys talking about?"

"Oh, nothing." Nozomi replied quickly, smiling at her best friend. Sighing, she began gently pushing her friend forward. "Well, off you go. Hope you have fun, and contact me often so I know you guys are still alive, okay?"

"Of course! Oh, and I'll give Youko what for for making you cry."

Nozomi didn't reply, but finished pushing her friend to the base of the ship, where the plank was put to board it.

"Well, this is it…"

"Yep…"

A pause. Both girls hugged each other tightly one last time.

"I guess I'll…see you later, Rose…"

"Yeah… Don't forget to visit often, okay?"

"Don't worry, I won't."

Letting go of each other, both with tears in their eyes, they backed away. Running over the plank and getting onto the ship, Leiko called, "Don't worry! I won't forget! Maybe I can bring you back a souvenir or something!"

Nozomi waved from down below. "I'd like that! See you later!"

Giving Nozomi one last hug, Kurama himself ran onto his ship before it left without him. Taking the wheel, he waved one last farewell to Nozomi down below before setting sail. Running along the beach to keep up with the leaving ship, Nozomi waved farewell. Leiko ran to the back of the ship as well, wanting to see her best friend for one last time. Taking a deep breath, she waved farewell, fighting back the tears.

"SEE YOU LATER, MIZUKI!"

"BYE NIZUKI! DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME!!!"

"Mizuki and Nizuki?" Kurama asked curiously.

"Yeah…we chose those nicknames when we were kids… 'cause we were usually so close we were like sisters. So, we made those names up…just for us…"

"Sounds nice…" He glanced down at her to see her crying silently. "Don't worry about her, she'll be fine. She'll be busy, so she should be fine."

"Busy? With what?"

Kurama paused, thinking about it. "Eh…about how to deal with the public and her family, not to mention yours, now that she's back."

"Oh…right…"

Desperate to change the topic, Kurama said, "Well, where should we head to?"

"Somewhere my brother and his sidekick can experience the sea." Leiko replied evilly, smirking while wringing her hands.

"All right then, to the Ravishing Sea it is."

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And that's the end of chapter 14. Tomorrow, I'm getting my class schedule for my new school year, starting next Monday. x.x I can't help the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach that I'm going to have one hell of a teacher... (not the fun kind either...) Augh...not looking forward to it, yet I am at the same time. -.- I hate mixed emotions...

Anyway, I wanted to tell my readers something. I'm sure you've noticed (if you're that much of a fan. If not, I'll tell you anyway. -shrugs-) that in most of my stories, (including Unexpected Love) and **some** of my friend Leikos' stories, that they include the name Mizuki and Nizuki. Well...that's a loooooong story, but, just so you know, we created those characters to be sisters, so that's the basic story. x.x Not gunna give away too much info, for...certain reasons.

Please review, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! This is around...eh... **Maybe** 2 to 3 chapters away from the final chapter. Time goes fast, huh? ^^ Hopefully, they'll be up before next Monday, but, you never know what life throws your way... Thanks again!


	15. Letting Go

All right, folks! This is it! Chapter 15! (Not the last chapter, so you can breathe. xD) Anyway, this is pretty funny, not to mention kind of sweet... But, that's just my opinion. -shrugs-

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, especially Kurama. Nor do I own Leiko.

All right, enjoy!!

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--4 days later

Kuwabara and Yusuke lay sprawled on the deck of the ship, breathing heavily while attempting to hold down what remained in their stomachs. With green tinged faces, they lay motionless, barely moving.

Leiko paused and looked over them, wondering what was wrong. "What's up, guys? Too much for you to handle?"

Both groaned, unable to say anything for fear of dumping their insides over the railing. Shrugging, Leiko pranced herself over to where Kurama was, standing at the head of the ship while controlling the helm.

"Kurama-kun! You're such a great driver! I didn't feel a thing!"

Kurama blushed, glancing at her through the side of his eye as she stood less than a foot away. She stared ahead, then glanced up at him, then smiled brightly. Blushing a little more, he looked back out ahead, wanting so badly to feel as if he weren't being watched. Giving the slightest glance to Yusuke and Kuwabara, he saw that they were both glaring coldly at him.

'_It would seem as if they didn't approve of us being together… Should I tell Leiko what I know, or should I not?'_

One of the pirates came up from below to check the wind direction. He did that every hour, or during a storm.

"Kuji, take the wheel!" He called, glad for an excuse to get away from Leiko momentarily.

Kuji came up and took the wheel, giving his captain a nod of understanding. Stepping back from the wheel, Kurama walked down the steps that led down onto the main deck. As he was walking down, Leiko ran over to the top of the stairs and jumped, tackling Kurama down the rest of the stairs and landing hard on the hard wooden deck.

Groaning, Kurama glared mildly up at Leiko the best he could, who was sitting on his back squeeing.

"Omg! That was fun! Let's do it again!" (Yes, I used 'omg' instead of writing it out. So sue me! x.x)

Kurama grunted under the pressure and tried to get her off. Failing, he fell back down onto the deck. "Leiko, would you mind getting off of me?"

She blinked, looking down at him. "Okay."

She got off of him, and Kurama soon stood up. Brushing himself off, he was about to begin walking again when Leiko tackled him once again, and landed on his stomach this time. Coughing slightly, with his hat knocked off and lying out of reach, Kurama could do nothing but stare at Leiko, somewhat surprised. Leiko stared back at him, taking in his features.

"Leiko…are you okay? You seem to be acting-"

Leiko leaned down and kissed him suddenly, silencing him. Blinking in surprise a few times, Kurama could do nothing but enjoy the kiss. Since she was lying in a very awkward area, he was trying to control himself. But, the odd thing of it was, she kept trying to push herself on him. It was probably unintentional, but the feelings that were between the two were not.

"Leiko! Get off of him! NOW!" Yusuke shouted angrily, standing up on wobbly legs while pointing at them both.

Leiko ignored her brother and continue to lock lips with Kurama, who was both enjoying it and trying desperately not to anger her brother. Kuwabara stared, dumbfounded, at the sight before them. He could tell that Kurama was trying to get out of it, yet couldn't. But he also saw that Leiko really liked him. She was only doing this to prove to Yusuke that she didn't need him to make her decisions for her. Sitting up, Leiko blushed deeply as she looked down at Kurama, who was also blushing.

"S-sorry…I…I couldn't help it…"

Kurama didn't reply, but merely stared back up at her, still shocked beyond belief. Getting off of Kurama, Leiko ran over to his private quarters and slammed the door shut, her face burning a bright red color.

Standing up, Kurama brushed himself off in a daze. Yusuke stalked forward, his anger showing clear on his face. He jabbed a finger into Kuramas' chest.

"Listen here, you! I don't want you touching my sister, got it?!"

Kurama blinked, then felt the pang of anger hit him. "If I recall correctly, she jumped on me, twice. If you are not man enough to allow your sister her own decisions and free range, then you may as well not even call her your sister. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things that need to be done."

With that said, Kurama turned and walked down the stairs leading to below deck, leaving Yusuke as pissed as ever. Standing up, Kuwabara dusted himself off before putting a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Let it go, man."

Yusuke whirled around in a haze of anger. "What do you know!? It's not like she's your sister!!!"

"No, but I do have one. I remember when she found a boy friend… I was so sad and angry, because I thought that I would lose her. Now, she's happily living with that guy, Sakyo, I think it was. Eh, you get over it after a while. But, the point is, you just have to let her go. She's growing up, and so are you, Urameshi. You have to, or else you'll lose her forever." Turning, he began heading downstairs, following the route Kurama had taken. "I'm gunna get me something to eat. I'm getting use to these waves, but now I'm starving. See ya later, Urameshi!"

Sighing, Yusuke turned and walked over to the railing. Sighing again, he gazed out into the endless blue, off in some far away land, wondering what he should do.

--The next day, around 3 pm

"Hey…Kurama?" Leiko asked, walking over to him as he steered the helm.

Glancing at her, he nodded briefly before continuing his work, his mood not at all happy and/or forgiving. It was times like these that he acted almost exactly like his brother.

"I-I'm sorry about yesterday… I didn't mean to get you in trouble with Yusuke, and I didn't really mean to kiss you…at first, anyway. I…I'm sorry about everything. Do you forgive me?" She explained, then asked hopefully, looking up at him with her dazzling brown eyes.

Stepping away from the wheel, Kurama turned to her, his expression vacant. Studying her features, he realized how truly beautiful Leiko was, and adored her for it. She wasn't the type of girl who would spend hours in front of a mirror, trying to get all gussied up just for a few hours of the day. No, she just went as she was, basically. Reaching out, he moved a few of her bangs out of the way, at the same time cradling her face.

"Leiko, I don't blame you, nor do I blame anybody. If it's anybody's fault, it is my own for not noticing earlier. I've been denying it for so long now… I was afraid to make a bad impression on your brother, even though we're friends. But, now I realize, that doesn't matter to me anymore. The only thing that matters is if I'm by your side. Leiko…I love you…"

Leaning forward, he placed a gentle kiss on her lips, wrapping his arms around her waist to draw her closer. Leiko, at first taken by surprise, soon wrapped her arms around his neck, pushing back against his lips slightly. His lips were soft and tender, unlike his attitude and demeanor.

Yusuke, having been standing on the deck, watched the whole exchanged, and heard every word spoken. It was then that he realized that he really did have to let his little sister go, even if she wasn't so little anymore. Sighing, he decided to just head back down stairs. He would leave them alone for a while, giving them time for themselves.

--Later that night

Leiko closed the door to the mess hall below deck and climbed up the stairs. Sighing, she was happy to finally be away from all the noise. Although it was fun, it got tiring after a while. Climbing up on deck, she wandered over to the left railing and leaned against it, gazing out at the black sea.

"Leiko." A voice spoke from beside her suddenly.

Jumping slightly, Leiko turned quickly to find her brother standing next to her, looking miserable.

"Oh…hi Yusuke. What's up?"

Yusuke sighed, not able to find any other way to express how he felt. "Leiko…do you love Kurama?"

Blushing at that statement, she turned away, not wanting her brother to see her like that.

"Tell me the truth, Leiko. Do you love him?"

"Yeah…I really do, Ani. He's so kind and sweet, when he's not concentrating on his work. But, even during that, he has this thing that kind of makes him shine when he's ordering his men around and stuff. I know…it may sound silly…but…" She looked back at her brother momentarily, before turning and looking back out to the black sea. "I love him…and he loves me…"

Yusuke sighed once again. "Then I have to."

"Hm? Have to what, Ani?"

"I have to let you go…" Sighing again, he turned and looked out at the sea. "Sorry for giving you such a hard time about it… I guess I just didn't want my little sister to grow up more… I wanted… I wanted you to still be my little sister… I wanted you to depend on me some more… But, now that…you know… You love someone, you're gunna want your space. So…I'm letting you go, Leiko. I'm…letting you go…"

Knowing that this must be hard for her brother to do in the first place, being thick headed as he was, Leiko gave a small smile and placed her right hand gently over his.

"Ani, I still depend on you. I probably always will. But, you're right, I will want my space and stuff. You don't have to let me go completely, just enough so that I can be comfortable. If you get too carried away, I'll tell you, and you can back off a bit; not be so overprotective. And, Ani…I'll always be your little sister. Without you there to watch my back, I don't know where I'd be." She gave her brother a gentle hug as she spoke softly, not wanting to cause him any turmoil or anything.

Turning slightly, Yusuke hugged his sister back, hugging her tightly, as if never wanting to let go. Then, slowly, he released her.

"Thanks, Leiko…"

"No problem." She replied, smiling brightly as she faced the water yet again.

"Hey, Leiko?"

"Yeah?"

"…thanks…"

"For what?" She asked, confused as she looked over her shoulder at him.

With a small and gentle smile, he replied, "For just being there…"

Leiko gave a small laugh. "I think I should be thanking you, for the same reason. But, whatever. It's done. Now, can you stop being all mopey? It's kind of depressing…"

Yusuke blinked, for the first time in 3 three days actually looking as if he were all right again. He suddenly smirked and grabbed her into a head lock.

"I'm acting _mopey_ huh?! How's _this_ for mopey?!" He shouted, beginning to tickle her.

"Noo! Hahaha! Stop! Nuuu!!!"

Kurama watched the siblings play together, and remembered the times he actually played with his older brother. Which brought him to wonder, why had he turned so cold the way he did, to almost everyone, including their mother? Pushing that thought to the back of his mind, Kurama headed back down stairs, leaving the two siblings alone to have a good ole Urameshi bonding.

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And that's a wrap! This is the end of Chapter 15, and I hoped you enjoyed it greatly! ^_^ It's getting rather exciting now that I know that there are only a few more chapters left before the final chapter. I can't wait! ^0^

Anyway, school for me starts Monday, August 24th! I thought I might show you guys what classes I got, just for the hell of it. No particular reason why... o.0;;

Period 1: English VI

Period 2: Drama I

Period 3: Debate I

Period 4: Liberal Arts (I loathe math...)

Period 5: Environmental Science

Period 6: American Government

Period 7: Creative Writing VI

I actually can't wait for school! The FIRST time in my whole life! ^o^ I met my teachers last night at the open house. Twas amazing! -is excited- Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you really liked this chapter, and can't wait for the next. See ya next time!

Thanks again!


	16. Father!

All right! This is the second to last chapter! Wooo! ^0^ I'm so excited!

Okay, I **have** to do this! This update is dedicated to all three of my reviewers, **D101, Leiko Urameshi **(who this story was written for)**, and Amanda Fair**, but mainly **Amanda Fair** for your amazing review. Thank you so much! What you wrote meant soooo much to me! Too much to describe in words! ^w^ Thanks a lot! Hope you like this chapter!!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, especially Kurama. Nor do I own Leiko.

Enjoy!!

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--3 weeks later

As a massive wave crashed onto the deck of the ship, Yusuke grabbed onto the rope that was connected to the main mast. Grunting in effort, he kept his boots planted the best he could onto the soaking wet deck, trying his best not to be flung around. Kuwabara was on the other side, also hanging onto one of the ropes to the main mast.

"Yusuke! Kuwabara! Quickly, now! Before that next big wave hits! Bring down the mast! Bring it down!" Kurama ordered from his spot behind the wheel, ignoring the freezing cold rain and the even colder sea water.

"Leiko! Make sure all life lines are secure!"

"Got'cha!" Leiko shouted, tying her own to one of the rails before going about to everyone else on board, doing the same. When she got to Kurama, who was the last one, she tied the rope around his waist, then stood up and kissed his left cheek.

"All done, Captain. Anything else you need done?"

"Leiko, now is definitely not the time for this…" He paused, knowing that being stern would get him no where. "All right, afterward, if we're still alive, I'll have time."

"Yay!" Kissing his cheek again, she ran down the steps and began helping around, doing the smaller things that needed to be done.

--3 hours later

After the 3 hours of hell the crew went through during the night, the crack of dawn was a welcomed sight. The crew, utterly exhausted from their ordeal, lay scattered throughout the ship, all panting heavily. Even Leiko was exhausted, leaning against one of the railings, her clothes soaked thoroughly. Yusuke and Kuwabara stood, barely, against the railing near Leiko, both about to collapse from exhaustion.

"Well done, everyone! We've made it through yet another storm!" Kurama announced, glancing behind him to see the dark and ominous clouds floating away, bringing in the new day. _'How odd…they seem to be getting worse…and they've been one after another, with shorter times in between each storm… I wonder…'_

"You're the only reason why we're still alive!" One loyal crew member shouted, causing others to, tiredly, agree.

"I'll say… You're pretty strong, Kurama. For you to have to fight waves that big with this whole thing, you've got to be." Yusuke added, plopping himself down next to his sister as he tried to regain his breath still.

"Yeah…good job Kurama…" Kuwabara added tiredly, sitting down heavily and leaning his head back against the railing, closing his eyes in the process.

Kurama nodded, glad for the praise. Yet, he was wise enough not to let it get to his head. All good sea captains know that if you get cocky on the seas, you die, and your ship goes down with you. As the sun climbed higher into the sky, something dark on the horizon caught his eye.

"Oh no…" He murmured, yet, in the silence of the morning, with everyone almost asleep, everyone heard his horrified words.

"What's wrong?" Yusuke called, knowing that, by now, his friend was not easily scared off.

A dark and sinister look came over his face. "Gentlemen, we're in for some heavy artillery." He looked sharply down at Leiko. "Leiko, you are to dress up as a princess once again, and I mean entirely. You have to play it very carefully, Leiko. You can not say anything that has to do with me or anyone else on here." He turned to Yusuke. "That goes for you, too. If you both want to get out of this alive, listen to me. Don't do anything rash. If I know him, and I do, you will both be better off not saying anything, as long as it's insults. Is that clear?"

"Why? What's up?" Leiko asked, looking up at him. "Who is it?"

"My father."

"Father?!" Yusuke, Kuwabara and Leiko shouted at once.

"Yes, my father." He replied darkly, glaring at the tiny dot in the distance that was his fathers' ship. "Hurry up, we only have about 15 minutes. MOVE OUT!"

"Aye, aye, Captain!"

Leiko ran up the stairs and over to Kurama, looking worried. "Kurama…are you sure?"

"I'd know the shape of that ship anywhere…" he replied darkly, glaring coldly at it with narrow eyes.

"Uhm…but… I don't have any dresses…"

"Not exactly… In case of an emergency, I had your dress fixed and renewed, so it looks as if it were never wet or anything. Go in my quarters and change there. Your dress is in a green box that says your name on it. Change quickly, and…don't forget to close those curtains. We wouldn't want any peeping toms watching you undress…" a light blush appeared on his face as he said this.

Leiko kissed his cheek. "Don't worry, the only one I'd love to undress in front of is you, Kurama."

Prancing off, Leiko soon disappeared into his quarters and slammed the door shut, the audible click of her locking it clear. Sighing while massaging his temples, Kurama sighed. _'This will take some time to get used to…'_

--10 minutes later

Leiko had changed and had her hair dry and nicely done, only the way a princess could, within 5 minutes, which was record time. The crew members were currently tying her up to the main mast, all the while murmuring their apologies.

"Hey! Not so tight!" She shouted angrily, struggling against her tight bindings.

They jumped back, surprised by her sudden outburst.

"Chill, guys. I'm supposed to at this way, remember?"

"Oh yeah…"

"Just act the way you did when I first came on board. Okay?" She whispered, seeing the ship coming closer.

Nodding, they ditched her, most of them going to the railings so that they could watch the approach of the ship, their swords drawn. Kurama calmly walked down the steps, his arms folded neatly behind his back, his face and expression completely composed. Calmly walking over to Leiko, who glared coldly at him, he stood in front of her. Knowing that his father was probably watching this, he said, barely moving his lips,

"Your brother is down stairs and in a dungeon, chained to the ceiling, hanging helplessly." Louder, he said, "If you do not cooperate, we will kill your brother. Now, will you tell us what you know?"

"I told you sea rats all ready! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" She shouted, her voice carrying over the now gentle waves. "Why don't you bastards take the clue!?"

Kurama slapped her, hard. Leiko slowly raised her head, fighting the urge to cry. Glancing up, she could see the brief apologetic look in his eyes before his eyes turned a steely cold green.

"Don't you **dare** take that tone of voice with me. Thanks to me, you've survived for this long. Don't you dare yell at me, you filthy little girl!"

"Enough. You've tormented that poor girl enough." A voice spoke suddenly, surprising everyone.

Turning slightly, his eyes narrow, Kurama glared coldly at his father. "Kelte, it's been a while."

"Yes, indeed it has, Shuuichi. Now, why not let that poor girl go? She's suffered enough."

"Yeah, you filthy sea rat! Let me go! I'm hungry and tired! Tired of all your b.s.! Let me go!" Leiko wailed, struggling against her bindings.

Kelte studied her for a moment before approaching, eying her closely. "Where have I seen you before…?" His memories re-surfaced suddenly. He stared at her, not to mention her figure. "You're that girl! You're little Leiko from… Yeah! It **is** you! What the hell are you doing tied up for?"

She glared at him. "Can't you take a hint? Geez, to think that the father of Kurama and Youko would have the brains enough to notice someone whose captured and someone whose free, right?"

Kelte stared at her. "How do you know about both of my sons?"

"Duh, because that pervy bastard swung by, I dunno...maybe 3 months ago, maybe more, and kidnapped me. Kurama ran in yelling that I was his catch and that he needed to catch his own, and then kidnapped me again." She glared at him. "Do you want me to spell it out for ya?"

Again, Kelte stared at her. Well, more at her figure. Looking her up and down, he turned to his youngest son.

"Shuuichi, this is a perfect match for you! You two would be absolutely perfect together! I can see it now…" He paused. "You should claim her!"

"WHAT?!" Both Kurama and Leiko practically shouted at the same time, forgetting to stay in acting form.

"Father, you can't be serious…"

"Of course I'm serious! Who would joke about something as serious as this?" He asked, crossing his arms while glaring mildly at Kurama.

Surprisingly, Kelte looked a lot like Youko. He had the silvery gray hair, the golden eyes, and the height, which Kurama also had. However, his attire was entirely different. Wearing a dark purple color, it gave a good contrast to his lighter locks and eyes. Shrugging, he turned his attention back to Kurama.

"I have come to raid the ship. But, seeing how this is your ship, Shuuichi, I will not. But, I would like to see what is in your cargo."

Glaring at his father, Kurama had no choice but to do as he said, knowing that he was getting off easy just because he was his son. '_Might as well take advantage of it.'_ Leading his father down stairs, he shot one last warning glance at his crew, daring them to mess up, or face his wrath. Knowing that Kurama could be as heartless as his brother, they behaved as if they were against Leiko, and began ganging up on her from all sides.

She eyed them carefully. "What the hell do you want?"

As they approached, she figured it out. "No! Don't you dare lay your filthy hands on me! Ahh!"

Kelte ran up from below suddenly, having only been down there for a few minutes. "Don't you fools dare try to take advantage of that poor young girl. If you do, you'll answer directly to me…"

Having the same look in his eye as Youko did most of the time, they listened to him, slowly backing away from her. Sighing, she hung her head, completely exhausted.

"Damn you…you stinking pirates…"

Kelte sighed, watching her. "Damn…not even a thank you…"

"Father, I believe it is time for you to leave." Kurama said in a dark voice, glaring at his father.

Turning to him, Kelte raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to kick me off your ship just as your brother did?"

Kurama stopped and stared at his father. "You've been on his ship before?"

"Yes, roughly around 5-6 months ago. He had a lovely young lass on board. Much like the situation with your woman over there. She was quite fair, and looked very gentle… I felt sorry for her, and wanted to help, but your brother threatened me and told me if I even touched her, I would be fed to the sharks." He sighed, then looked at his youngest son sadly. "May I speak with you, in private? I need to tell you something…"

"Uh…sure… Follow me."

Silently, Kelte followed Kurama into his private quarters, closing the door behind them both.

--20 minutes later

Kelte emerged from within Kuramas' quarters, looking fairly please with himself. Leiko could only imagine what had happened between the two, and hoped it wasn't what her perverted mind was thinking. Passing by Leiko, Kelte paused and whispered,

"Don't worry about your friend, Nozomi. She's safe. I passed by the isle not too long ago, about two weeks ago. She was watching the sun set, and helped my men re-build my ship due to storm damage. I kept some men over there to keep watch over her in case anything happened. Don't worry, all right?" By the brief look of shock that crossed her face, he also added, "Yes, I figured this was all a trick. You looked too healthy to be like this, and the ropes look too fresh. Don't worry though, keep acting as you were, and you should still be able to pull this off."

Clearing his throat, he continued. "Fare thee well, fair maiden! I'm sorry I could not rescue you, but I will try from afar, and only hope that my son is wise enough not to let this opportunity pass." Turning, he kissed Leiko on the cheek and whispered, "Hope you two have fun together, Princess Leiko." Standing back up, while smirking, he walked calmly, with his hands in his pockets, all the way back over to his ship and easily jumped the gap separating the two.

"See you guys later!"

Kurama walked over to the edge. "Be careful! Towards the east was a storm, and it had pretty rough seas! I'm sure you're going in that direction?"

"Not at all! I'm going north! I was just heading this way because I saw your ship not too long ago, just as it was exiting the storm. I decided to head on over here for a quick check up on my youngest son! See you later! Oh! And if you see your brother, tell him I said hi!"

"If he'll listen!"

"Bye!"

"Bye, father!"

'_God, when will this end?!'_

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And that's the end of Chapter 16! I hope you guys enjoyed it, and are looking forward to the next and **final** chapter to As Red as a Rose! ^^ From what I can see, out of all 89 pages, the final chapter will start on page 74, so it'll be a fairly long chapter. I hope you guys will bring your comfort pillows and such, not to mention popcorn, while you read the blood boiling chapter that will end this fanfic!

lol I had to make it sound dramatic. Thanks again to all of my readers, and thanks for all of the reviews! If you're not going to review, at least review to the last chapter! IT'S THE LAST CHAPTER FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!

Thanks again, and hope you liked it! ^^ (Looks like I'm going to post this whole story before school starts on Monday after all! Yay!)


	17. Calm before the Storm

Okay folks, I've decided to split up the FINAL...er....section of As Red as a Rose into 3 parts. .....why? Because. That's why. =P xD No, no, I'm just kidding. The real reason is because it'll help keep you at the edge of your seat until the end! ^.^ Oh, and I'll also post some Bonus Chapters!

You're welcome for the shout outs, and I'm glad you're all still reading this! ^_^

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, especially Kurama. Nor do I own Leiko.

Hope you enjoy part 1 of 3 of the final section! ^_^

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--1 year and 8 months later

"Kurama! Kurama! Where the hell are you?!" Leiko called, having cupped her hands over her mouth for more amplification.

Stifling a yawn, Kurama poked his head out of his quarters, giving her a half-opened eye gaze.

"Wha…?"

"There you are!" Leiko ran over, glaring mildly at him. "Where the hell have you been?! You were supposed to be up and keeping watch by now!"

Kurama covered his mouth as another yawn came. "I was sleepin…" He murmured sleepily, still giving her that half-opened eyed stare.

"Don't gimme that! I wanna get to that island pronto! I can't sit here and wait for your lazy ass!"

Rubbing his left eye gently, Kuramas' eyes narrowed slightly, although they still had that half-asleep glaze to them.

"If you're so impatient, why don't you steer the ship, then?" He asked irritably, now glaring at her fully.

"Because, Mr. bossy-pants, you won't let me! You said that I would probably crash it, like I almost did last time!" She crossed her arms defensively. "I'm serious that that whale appeared out of no where! It just popped up, and I almost hit the damn thing! That's why I'm not a big nature fan… It feels as if it's out to get me sometimes…"

Giving her a cold glare, Kurama closed the door on her face, changed clothes quickly, and was out just as Leiko was about to pound on the door again.

"'Bout time…" She murmured huffily before walking off, arms still crossed.

Sighing heavily, Kurama turned and walked up the steps that led to the helm of the ship. Taking the wheel, he felt the familiar responsibility of having all lives on board alive until their next destination. Glancing down, he couldn't help but smile slightly as he watched Leiko try and fish. It was obvious to everyone on board that she sucked at almost everything, besides getting on Kuramas' good side. And, apart from that, during a storm, her slyness and quick-footed-ness helped when securing life lines. Other than those two things, she was basically useless. Oh, and let's not forget cooking. All of the crew members loved her food, though she knew not why.

Looking out at the sea, Kurama watched as the small cumulus clouds drifted lazily by, as if they were in no hurry to get to where they were going. All was calm and peaceful; the water was calm, the waves were small, the sky was a bright blue, dotted with small fluffy white clouds; everything seemed perfect…

"Whoa!" Leiko cried, ducking as she managed to haul a rather large sword fish on deck.

She stood, staring wide eyed, at the fish she had just caught. She couldn't move. As the large fish flopped about noisily on deck, the crew came out from below, wondering what the racket was all about. They stopped dead as they stared at the dying fish, surprised that Leiko, of all people, could manage to get it on board.

"Woah…" A few murmured, staring at it disbelievingly.

"Oh yeah! I rock! Oh yeah!" Leiko burst out, throwing a fist into the air in victory. She then pointed a finger at the rest of the crew. "Hah! You guys can't even get something this big on board! In your face! I win! I win!" She began chanting, dancing slightly as she made her way over to the crows nest. Sticking her tongue out at the crew, she scrambled up the ladder to the top, grabbed the telescope, and began keeping look out. Glancing at one another, the crew members' shrugged before heading back down below, the stronger ones of the crew dragging the still flopping fish below deck, taking out their swords and going to work at cleaning and gutting the fish, preparing it for dinner.

Kurama sighed. "What an odd day… After all we've been through; it seems odd to have such a peaceful day… Ever since we left Yusuke and Kuwabara back on their island, things have gone surprisingly smooth. I did receive word that Nozomi has disappeared again…but… I doubt she's in bad hands… She should be fine, where ever she may be." He sighed once again, looking up into the crows nest. "And ever since those two left, she and I have had some time to get to know each other more _thoroughly_." He chuckled to himself, all the while blushing slightly. After a few moments of silence, he looked up at the sky, deep in thought, his face reflecting it. "But…I wonder…why is it that I feel so…threatened? I feel as if this is just the beginning…"

"SHIP!!!" Leiko cried out suddenly, pointing out towards the rear of the ship.

"What?!" Kurama cried softly, whirling around and seeing the little black dot in the distance. Eying it carefully, he noticed that it was aimed straight at them, headed in their direction.

"They're headed right for us!" Leiko continued, watching it carefully. "And they're going full speed!" She looked down at him, moving the telescope out of the way. "And there's something else, Kurama…"

"What is it? Another bandit ship?" He asked, although he knew it was more serious than that.

"No…it's your brother's ship."

"WHAT?! Youkos' ship!?"

She nodded solemnly, checking through the telescope once more. "Yeah, it **has** to be it… The ship has a flag that looks like fox bones." She removed the telescope from her eye once again and looked down at Kurama. "That **is** his mark, isn't it?"

Cursing loudly, Kurama braced himself. "BRACE YOURSELVES!" He yelled, loud enough for those below deck to hear him before he turned the helm as far right as it would go.

"EVERYONE GET ON DECK….NOW!!!"

The crew members rushed on deck, wondering what the hell was happening. The wind that had been blowing in their favor had now died, leaving the several masts completely loose and hanging.

"What's going on, Captain?" A few asked, looking up worriedly at their sinister looking boss.

"My brother…"

Dead silence on the ship. No one spoke. All were afraid of the King of Pirates, as he was known. Kurama was merely a shadow to Youko, and yet everyone considered them as equals. The two brothers, however, did not. The eldest thought that the younger needed more information, and more sources in order to be at the head of the game. While the younger wished for his brother to stop and act more like a family, instead of all this killing and such.

"They'll be here soon! Probably…in about 20 to 25 minutes!" Leiko called down, watching it closely from her perch.

"Keep us informed, Leiko, if you please." Kurama said quietly, not even looking up at her.

Nodding, Leiko continued to spy on the enemy ship, checking it for any possible weak points. Kurama, instead, walked down the steps and in front of his crew. Sighing heavily, he looked up.

"My crew… You've been with me through thick and thin, all the way. Through the harshest weather, through the calmest day… I ask now for you to stand by my side and help me against my brother. I trust you, and I know you trust me. Will you stay by my side as I face my brother down? It will probably be to the death…"

A moment of silence, in which everyone spent digging deep into their minds and hearts. After a while, the crew looked back up at him, all with determination in their eyes.

Brom was the one that stepped forward, standing directly in front of Kurama.

"Shuuichi… I know I say this for everyone; you are the most compassionate, and yet the sternest captain among all others. We would fight the harshest seas, the roughest waves, even go down to Davy Jone's' locker and back for you. We will stay and stand by your side. Otherwise we would be cowards."

Kurama fought back tears of happiness as he noticed just how much his crew trusted him.

"Hey!" Leiko called down from above, waving down at him. Winking, she said, "You'll always have me by your side! Always!"

Kurama nodded, appreciating the gesture. Looking about, he looked back up at Leiko.

"How much time is left? Can you give me a rough estimate?"

"Uhm…" Looking through the scope, Leiko jumped noticeably as she noticed Youko smirking through her telescope. His attention was clearly on Kurama, but still, the lust to kill was enough to cause her to shiver, even at this distance. "Not much time! We have about 10 minutes left!"

"All right, everyone. I'm sure my brother's crew is bound to come over here and make a mess of things. Lock my quarters, lock the cells below, and make sure that no one can escape. And I _mean_ no one. And lower the masts. We wouldn't want them getting torn, leaving us stranded in the middle of the ocean. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir, capp'n!" His crew cheered, before getting right down to business, all with determination in their eyes.

Kurama turned and returned to his post at the helm of his ship. "Today will be the day…me and my brother…the fight that was meant to be…" He took a deep, shaky breath. "Let's just hope that this is for the best of things…"

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And that's the end of Part 1 of 3 out the final section! ^-^ Nyu! I'm so happy! (I'm bored. x.x And kind of hyper after eating some Panamanian candy. (...if you don't know what/where Panama is, don't worry about it.) I hope you liked this ....mini chapter, lol and are looking forward to the next two! (Yes, I know this is a short mini-chapter, but the others are longer. ^^ Rest assured.)

Right now, I can assure you, all of my readers, that I will post the last two parts one right after another. I can't find it in my heart to cut it off just with one. ^_^ So, count yourselves lucky! lol Anyways, please review, and thank you for reading!


	18. Part 1: Final Battle

All right folks, here's the second part to the three part final chapter! ^0^ I hope you like it!

Dsiclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, especially Kurama. Nor do I own Leiko. You know the peoples that I own. lol

ENJOY!!

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--10 minutes later

Youkos' ship pulled over nicely right next to his younger brothers' ship. Hopping easily over the side, he glanced about, knowing perfectly well what was to come. His sharp golden eyes eyed the shadowed places, causing him to naturally stay on guard. Taking a few steps forward, he smirked as he looked up at the helm of the ship. Kurama stood, leaning slightly against the helm of his ship, glaring down at his older brother.

"What do you want, Youko? It is rare for you to show your face on the seas…" Kurama said venomously, his voice at an unusually calm level.

"I decided to pay you a visit, little brother. I was wondering where you were and low and behold! I find you heading directly to me. You know how impatient I can be, baby brother. I just _had_ to come out and meet you." A wicked smile spread across his face, his golden eyes narrowing. "And now…YOU DIE!"

At the sound of his raised voice, Youkos' crew, which had been hidden from view, as was Kuramas', charged over the railings and stormed onto the deck. Prancing out of the shadows, Kuramas' crew attacked full on, their swords drawn and ready. The two pirate crews clashed viciously, both sides hacking away at each other. Dead and/or dying bodies dropped quickly from both sides, blood splattering onto the once beautifully polished wood. Kurama gave a sharp and quick glance up at Leiko, who he noticed was about to show herself up there to try and help the ones below. Upon the look from Kurama, she stayed hidden, but pointed down below. Quickly looking back down, he just barely had enough time to unsheathe his sword and defend himself as his brother attacked him.

Both brothers clashed, both glaring coldly into one anothers' eyes.

"You've improved, baby brother." Youko said with a smirk, the strain of pushing against his brother showing ever so slightly.

"You as well, Youko." Kurama replied, knowing that if he used his full force now, he would tire out easier, and thus be cut down by his older brother.

By now, both pirate crews were in shambles, barely a few left on either side. Those who remained watched their bosses fight, wondering who would end up the winner. Pushing his brother back, Youko took a swing at his head, but Kurama ducked, missing the decapitating blow that was meant for him. He aimed a shot at his brother's stomach, but Youko kicked it out of the way, almost knocking it out of his hand entirely. However, that one moment of vulnerability was enough for Youko to finish knocking the sword out of his brother's hand and to the other side of the ship. Pushing Kurama down, being on the main deck now, Youko pointed the sword tip to Kuramas' throat, smirking evilly.

"Well, well. Looks as if I've won yet again, baby brother. Now, I will erase the last mistake mother made."

"You bastard! I was no mistake! You just said that to get me on the seas!" Kurama yelled, trying to back up to get away from the point. Pretty soon, his back pressed against the hard wood of the main mast, telling him that he was trapped and had no were else to go.

"Of course I did. That way, I could erase you easier, without the worry of soiling my good name." Youko replied, giving a slight shrug. With an evil smirk, he raised his sharp sword high above his head. "Fare well, SHUUICHI!"

"Not so fast, Youko!" Suddenly, a few small spheres of flame came down from above, causing Youko to jump back and glare up at the person who dared to interrupt. Leiko jumped down, standing in front of Kurama. "You'll have to get through me first, you bastard!"

Youko smirked, as if she weren't a real threat. "Ah, I was wondering where you had hidden yourself, Leiko. No matter, you shall join my brother in death soon enough." Lunging at her, his sword aimed right for her heart, Leiko acted quickly. Outstretching her arms and closing her eyes, a large ball of flame began to form. Gasping in shock, Youko stopped dead in his tracks, staring into the bright flames of the ever growing sphere. Opening her eyes, Leiko yelled, "Take this, you BASTARD!" and threw the ball.

Youko raised his sword arm in natural defense, though he knew he wouldn't be able to make it out alive. As the fire ball flew straight at him, a column of water encased itself around him, protecting him from the hot embers that exploded upon impact. As the fire faded away, so did the water column. A figure jumped onto the ship and stood in front of Youko, standing protectively in front of him. As the smoke cleared, Leikos' eyes widened.

"Nozomi?!" She cried, still staring in shock. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

Nozomi looked sad, as if she were forcing herself to do this, but she decided to reply nonetheless. "I'm protecting my mate. Something I'm sure you're doing as well, Leiko."

Leiko stared, still not believing this turn of events. Kurama looked between the two, as did Youko. Both brothers knew that this was a dangerous fight that would soon erupt between the two friends. Standing back up, having been blown down onto the floor by the force and heat from the giant fire ball, Youko smirked.

"Heh, it would appear as if we both have aces. Nevertheless, your lives shall end today."

Leiko turned slightly and helped Kurama to his feet. "Not in your life, Youko. The one dying today, is you."

"Hah, I'd love to see you try."

Taking a few steps forward, Kurama drew his sword and aimed it at his brother's heart. However, Nozomi got in the way, not allowing him to pass.

"Nozomi, get out of the way!"

"I can't let you do that…" She said quietly, glaring at him sadly.

"But you heard him yourself! He's going to kill me! Wasn't it you who asked me to protect Leiko no matter what? But, I won't be able to do that if he kills me!"

"That's not my problem whether you live or die…" She said quietly, looking down at the deck below, her eyes shadowed by her bangs. She looked up suddenly, her eyes cold and narrow. "I won't let you harm Youko!" She shouted, before unleashing a large wave of water, aimed straight at him.

Caught off guard, Kurama raised his arm in defense, much like Youko had done before, preparing for the impact. But, using her fire power, Leiko canceled out the water attack by creating a similar wave, but of fire.

"And I won't let you harm Kurama!" Leiko shouted, stepping in front of him in defense.

Both Kurama and Youko watched, both amused, both worried about their mates' safety.

"Nozomi…what's happened to you…?" Leiko asked softly, dropping her stance, and ignoring everything else around her. "You used to be so kind and gentle… And now… And now you're defending that PERV! What's gotten into you?!"

"Love…" She replied softly, glancing back at Youko before looking back at her best friend. "He may be a pervert, and he may hate his brother. Hell, I may hate what I'm doing, and what he's doing… But…mates have to be there for each other, through thick and thin. And I'm not about to let you or Kurama take his life!"

Pushing Leiko to the side, Kurama stepped forward, looking apologetic at Nozomi for what he was about to say. "But, he was the one that got you pregnant almost 2 years ago! How can you stay by his side? How did you manage to get back to his side?"

Nozomis' face was hidden in shadow as Leiko cried out, "WHAT?! PREGNANT?!" She turned a hatred filled glare to Youko. "YOU BASTARD!!!" Taking a few steps forward, her hatred directed to only Youko, she was blocked, once again, by Nozomi. "Nozomi, come ON! He got you PREGNANT! _PREGNANT_! Why the hell didn't you tell me this before?!"

"Because you would have made a big deal out of it, as you are now." Nozomi replied quietly, her eyes once again covered in shadow by her bangs.

"But… where's your child? You didn't kill him, did you? Abortion? Still-born? What?"

A soft smile came over Nozomis' face as she looked up slightly, her eyes showing that she was off in a distant land.

"My little boy… He's waiting for us on an island far away from here… Waiting for his parents to come home…" Her eyes narrowed suddenly, turning an icy blue color. "And I won't have my son waiting!" Summoning more water, she quickly created a water sphere and threw it, at full speed, at Leiko.

Giving a yelp of surprise, Leiko quickly summoned up a fire ball, although smaller than Nozomis', and threw it at the incoming water sphere. The impact caused smoke to spread over both ships, hiding the fight from view. Taking his chance, Youko grabbed Nozomis' wrist and jumped over to his ship, smirking as he glanced over his shoulder.

"YOUKO!" Kurama yelled angrily, jumping over the railings and landing on his brother's ship, his sword raised and aimed at his elder brother.

Nozomi got in the way, creating a sword made entirely of ice. Both swords clashed, both wielders glaring coldly at each other.

"Nozomi, this is your last chance! If you don't move out of the way, I will consider you an obstacle in my way and dispose of you! I don't care if you have a son or not!" Kurama shouted, pressing bodily against the swords.

Nozomis' eyes flared. "Not in your life…" She growled, pushing her sword and his up into the air. In the moment of vulnerability, Nozomi made a quick slashing motion, cutting Kurama across the chest, injuring him.

Staggering backwards, Kurama had barely jumped back in time to miss a fatal blow. Instead, he crumbled to the floor, his sword by his side, his newly made cut bleeding freely.

"How's _that_ for my answer, Kurama?" She asked venomously, glaring down at him, her sword pointing just underneath his chin.

Leiko appeared out of no where, carrying a sword made completely out of fire. Catching Nozomi by surprise, she locked their swords together, bringing her closer to her best friend. With her eyes narrow in anger now, Leiko threw a punch, but Nozomi dodged it by jumping out of the way, dropping her ice sword and creating a new one.

"I'll take care of Nozomi, Kurama. You take care if your brother." Leiko told him, before jumping into the smoke that still lingered over both ships, most likely the work of Nozomi.

Staggering to his feet, Kurama clutched his sword tightly in his right hand, glaring venomously at his brother.

Youko eyed him cautiously. "You're lucky she can't kill, baby brother."

Kurama looked up, slightly surprised. "What do you mean? Can you not see that I am injured?!"

"Injured, yes. Dead? Not in the least. She missed on purpose, not because your quick wit saved you." Before his brother could protest, he continued. "Yes, you jumped back, but she suspected you would, which is why that cut is deeper than it should be, if she hadn't thought of it. You are very lucky, my dear baby brother."

A pause, before Youko raised his sword slightly, a frown creasing his face. "Well then, shall we continue our fight? Now that we have no interruptions, let us REALLY begin!"

Kurama braced himself, raising his sword in defense.

--With Leiko and Nozomi

Both girls were panting slightly, having been jumping around every where, avoiding each others' attacks.

"Heh…you're better than I thought…" Nozomi said quietly, giving a weak smirk.

Leiko stood, panting a little more heavily then her friend. "Yeah…you too…"

"You know… I don't recall you ever being able to control fire…"

"Yeah, funny story…" Leiko murmured, standing up straight again, facing her friend dead on. "About 2 years and some months ago, I figured out that I could. I had started a fire by accident, and from there, every time I got a chance alone, I practiced. I've gotten good, huh?"

"Good enough to challenge me, yes. But, most likely not enough to defeat me!" Nozomi replied, jumping up into the smoke for cover.

"Oh no you don't!" Leiko called after her, jumping up into the smoke after her.

--Back with Kurama and Youko

Both men panted heavily, glaring at each other in all out hatred. A cry of pain nearby told them that one of their girls had gotten injured, but there was no way of telling which one was it.

"Leiko!" "Nozomi!" Both cried out, worried for their mates. Both glared at each other once again, then bolted into the smoke, each searching for their mate.

"Leiko! Leiko, where are you!?" Kurama called out, cupping his left hand over a side of his mouth for more amplification.

A loud thud in front of him told him that the battle must have moved to there. A cry of pain was audible, carrying clearly over the water. Running forward, Kurama stopped short at the sight before him. Breathing heavily, Nozomi stood over Leiko, her sword pointing at Leikos' throat.

"Bitch! Let her go!!" Kurama roared, running forward, his sword raised at Nozomi.

Before he reached her, Youko came out of no where and slashed at him, their swords ringing as they clashed.

"You're fight was with me, remember? Leave them be, and concentrate on me, baby brother." He said with an evil smirk, pushing his brother back. Glancing over his shoulder at Nozomi, he cast her a worried glance.

"I'm fine. You concentrate on your brother…but…" She paused, looking at him with worry clear in her eyes. "Just…be careful…"

Giving her a final and small smirk, Youko ran back into the smoke, off to kill his brother. Taking her chance, Leiko knocked the weapon out of Nozomis' grasp. Catching her off guard, Leiko did a sweeping floor kick, knocking her friend to the ground. Creating a sword of fire, since her other one had been knocked out of her hand, she pointed it at her throat, glaring down at her as she panted heavily.

Nozomi glared up at her friend, panting just as heavily as she was. "Kill me now…"

Still glaring down at her friend, Leikos' hand shook with tension, her mind rushing on what she should do. Closing her eyes, she raised the sword and…

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That's the end of this part! D I know it's at a cliff hanger, I just HAD to do something that'd keep you guys at the edge of you seats. -evil laughter- ... -ahem- Now then, please be KIND enough to not just skip straight to the last part of the fight. Please review and tell me if there are any questions in the reviews. Uhm....please and thank you for reading. ^^

On to the next! lol


	19. Part 2: Final Battle, The End

Okay folks, this is the last part of the final battle! ^-^ I'm so glad it's almost over before school starts! (It's on Monday. x.x) Anyways, I'm just going to skip the disclaimer, since you guys already know, and onward towards the REAL reason you guys are here! ^^ So, without further ado...

ENJOY!!

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--With Youko and Kurama

Having somehow gotten back on Kuramas' ship, both brothers were now in the middle of trying to kill each other. Both of their shirts were cut to ribbons, showing off their muscles and six packs. Dried and running blood mixed as it ran down their sweating bodies, both too concentrated in killing the other to notice.

Both brothers suddenly jumped away from each other, both panting heavier still.

Smirking weakly, Youko said, "I believe it's time to get serious about this killing business…"

Returning the tired and weak smirk, Kurama replied, "I agree. No more playing with mere knives." Throwing down his long and sharp sword deep into the wood of his ship, Kurama pulled a small seed out of his hair, as did his older brother.

Both called out, "Fist of the demonic vine!" and vines shot out, encasing their wrists and forming a pointed sword on each brothers' arm.

"Now…let us end this….ONCE AND FOR ALL!" Youko shouted, getting into a stance.

"Yes, let's!" Kurama agreed darkly, running head on to his brother.

--With Leiko and Nozomi

Reaching out a hand, Leiko helped her best friend to her feet, having thrown away her sword. Nozomi stared at her, confused, still breathing heavily.

"Why? After all of this?"

Leiko shrugged, giving her friend a happy smile. "Because you're my best friend! I wouldn't even dream about killing you!" she gave a small laugh.

Nozomi had tears in her eyes. She hugged her friend tightly. "I'm so sorry, Leiko! But…I had to…"

"I know, me too."

Stepping away from each other, they both smiled at each other. Hearing both of their mates cry out in pain in the background brought them both back to reality.

"Oh no!" Nozomi cried, having completely forgotten the fight temporarily.

"What are we gunna do?! We have to stop this fight!" Leiko cried, grabbing her head in panic.

"I have an idea, but it'll be tricky…not to mention dangerous…" Nozomi replied, thinking quickly.

"Whatever, just spit it out!" Leiko yelled, desperate not to lose Kurama.

"All right, this is what we'll do…"

--With Youko and Kurama

Both brothers sat, kneeling on the ground, glaring coldly at each other. With the blood dripping freely from almost all wounds now, if they didn't end the fight, they would surely bleed themselves to death. Panting heavily, with barely enough energy to stand, both brothers stood back up, their bodies protesting noticeably.

"Kurama!" Leiko cried, jumping down in front of him. She helped him get a better stance, hating to see him in this condition. She glared at Youko. "You bastard! You're going to pay for that!"

A look of fear crossed Youkos' face at the sight of her. Pointing his fisted sword at her, his voice coming out venomously, he asked, "You…where's Nozomi?"

"Hell if I know! Last time I saw her, she was falling into the sea." Leiko shrugged, turning her attention back to Kurama. "You okay?"

Kurama stared up at her, horrified. "Tell me you didn't kill her…?! Please…PLEASE, tell me you didn't kill her…"

Once again, Leiko shrugged. "Like I said, last time I saw her, she was reaching up to me as she fell down into the waters below." Remembering what Nozomi had instructed her earlier, she would have to use every once of strength to block Youkos' fury empowered strikes. Looking up quickly, Leiko saw Youkos' eyes focused on her. She temporarily froze, seeing her own death behind his eyes.

"You shall now die, woman. For killing my mate, I shall **kill** you…" He suddenly disappeared. Leiko looked about frantically, knowing that one mistake on her part, she would really die. Youko reappeared behind his brother, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, and hauled him away from her, leaving her unprotected.

Relying only on Nozomis' instructions, Leiko created a fire sword and prepared for the hardest fight in her life. Youko stalked forward, his eyes mere slits, bordered by the gold. With his sword dripping with blood, he slowly stalked forward, his eyes focusing angrily on his soon to be prey.

Leiko took a step back, knowing that she had to actually predict his movement, which was her weakest point in combat. Usually, she would improvise. However, there was nothing to improvise on, so she thought of herself as screwed. Nozomi had whacked her in the head for saying that, and said that if she kept a cool head, cool enough in a situation like that, she may actually make it. Swallowing roughly, her throat completely bone dry, Leiko raised her sword slightly, signaling that she was prepared to fight to defend herself.

Youko, still glaring venomously at her, suddenly disappeared. Thinking quickly, Leiko jumped to the right as Youko brought his sword down from up above. _'Remember, he never attacks anyone from the rear. You have to remember that. If anything, he'll attack from up above. Not to mention all other possible sides, but never the rear. Remember!'_ Nodding briefly to herself, Leiko tried her best to dodge and/or block his attacks, but they were getting more and more ferocious as the fight continued, causing her to almost lose her sword a few times. Just as Youko swung his sword at her, since her back had been against the railing, she quickly jumped forward and somersaulted over to where the main masts' pole was and stood back up. Turning around quickly, so as not to have her back on him for long, she waited for him to come.

'_Here we go… This is it… God, I hope this works… Nozomi, I'm trusting you! This better work, or else I'll come back from the dead and haunt your ass!'_

Youko turned slowly, his eyes giving her the coldest and most venomous death glare she had ever seen in her life. Walking forward ever so slowly, he soon picked up his pace until he was running, full speed, straight at her. Leiko braced herself, staring death straight in the face.

'_Okay…this is it! If I miss a step, or don't jump at the right angle, my life will be over… Oh god! I hope this works!'_

The following seemed to happen in slow motion. Just as Youko was beginning to swing the death blow, Leiko used the last of her physical strength to jump up and backwards, both arms outstretched, palms completely open, having dropped her sword in order to jump the way she did. Closing her eyes, feeling herself traveling backwards, Leiko imagined the giant ball of fire before her, growing larger and larger still. Opening her eyes fully, seeing how the ball of fire was one third the size of the ship, she threw it, with the last little bit of her overall energy. (not her life energy, just all together energy; physical and spirit.) The fire ball was headed straight for Youko, who, in his anger, had managed to leave himself wide open. He watched the ball of flame head straight for him, his fear never showing. He closed his eyes, welcoming death, hoping that he may be with his supposedly dead mate soon.

Just as the fire ball was about to reach Youko, a shadow jumped in front of him, grabbed him, encased them both in a bright blue sphere, and embraced for impact. Leiko, having been in free fall, was about to hit the deck, which was some 3 feet below her. Kurama, having gotten time to recover some, ran over and caught his mate in his arms, practically falling onto the hard wood in the process. Both watched the impact from where they were at. Almost as soon as the shield was up, the fireball had hit at full force, causing a deafening _**BOOM**_ to resound across both ships and the surrounding water. In the confusion of the smoke, the blue sphere slipped off of the ship and into the water, out of sight and away from the area.

'_Bye Nozomi… See you some other time…I hope…'_ Leiko thought, having already said good bye to her friend after she had told her the plan.

Returning her attention back to Kurama, she smiled. "Yay! My prince! You caught me!"

Kurama knelt down onto the deck, smiling weakly at her, but smiling nonetheless. "I'm proud of you, Leiko… You took on my brother… That was one hell of a hit, if you don't mind me saying… I'm glad he's gone… Now, perhaps we can live our lives in peace…?"

"Sure…why not?" Leiko replied, somewhat nervously. Kurama failed to noticed, too preoccupied with the fact that the final battle was over.

'_I can tell him later… Hopefully he won't freak out too much…'_ Leiko thought, seeing how happy her mate was.

"Let's go home, Kurama!"

He glanced at her. "Home?"

"Yeah! Home! Back to your, I mean, **our** land!" Leiko said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Kurama smiled and kissed her tenderly. "Yes…let's go home…"

--Later that day (this is an overview)

Leiko giggled from the ship cruising off into the sun set. "Kurama… I forgot to tell you something…"

"Oh? And what's that?"

Leiko couldn't help but giggle again. "I'm pregnant."

"What?!" He turned to her, completely surprised.

She pouted slightly. "Aww… I thought you'd be happy…"

"No, no! I am! But…" He paused, giving her a half worried, half angry look. "You went into battle with the knowledge that you were pregnant?!"

Leiko looked a bit worried. "Well…about that… You see, one of the times that Nozomi had attacked me, she was aiming for my stomach, but she stopped short, and instead cut my shoulder. I asked her later, why? And she said that she didn't want to hurt the baby by some stupid fight…"

'_Eh…stretching the truth a bit won't hurt until I __**really**__ tell him how I found out…although, it has some truth to it…'_

Kurama cradled her in his arms. "I can't wait for the baby to come. And when it does, we'll be ready…"

"Yeah…"

_**The End**_

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Woot! And THAT'S the END of As Red as a Rose!!! I'll post the Epilogue tomorrow. x.x It's kind of too late right now. xP Oh, and sorry that I posted it so late in the first place. I had to go school shopping, so I was out for about...3-4 hours. x.x

Anyways, PLEASE review! It's the final chapter thingy, for crying out loud!!

...Oh yeah! I forgot! People! Readers! I have a favor to ask of you! You know my friend Leiko? The one that I wrote this story for? Well, she's written a story called Love Behind Closed Eyes, and it would mean a lot if you took the time to read it. ^_^ It explains a bit more about our whole story idea of Youko and Kurama being brothers', and the whole Mizuki and Nizuki thingy. Besides the grammatical errors (which she hates whenever I tell her, so if and when you review, try NOT to mention it. :P), it's a good story. So please, read and review to it! ^^

THANKS AGAIN, TO ALL OF MY FAITHFUL READERS! ^_^ -hugs all of you individually- Thanks!!!


	20. Epilogue

The reason why Leiko didn't tell him right away, and for the fake death, was because if Kurama had known about it, he would have tried to kill his brother again, thus the entire plan would be ruined. But, don't worry. ^^

Anyway, time for the final disclaimer! -ahem-

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, especially Kurama. Nor do I own Leiko, but with the graciousness of my best friend, was allowed to write this awesome fanfic about her. ^^ Thanks Leiko!

Now, enjoy the short epilogue!

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_**Epilogue**_

Leiko eventually told Kurama that Nozomi and Youko were still alive, but he wasn't angry for long. He knew that it was a too well thought out plan for Leiko to have done it alone. She also told him how she really found out that she was pregnant. Again, he wasn't that surprised.

The two of them returned to Leiko's home, reunited with Yusuke and Kuwabara, and marched up to the castle, the townspeople cheering for all of them. Once they reached the gates of the castle, and kicked both of Leiko's parents out with what they only had on, they entered their new home. There, they raised their son, and soon to be daughter. Yusuke remained in the castle, as did Kuwabara.

Meanwhile, in the neighboring kingdom, Nozomi and Youko raised their son and soon to be other four children. The two families met often, and the wounds and hatred between Kurama and Youko soon healed…after many, many, many years. Until they were about their thirties did they actually begin to have normal conversations that didn't involve death and killing one another. The group stayed together, and both kingdoms came to each other's need in case of anything.

And thus, both kingdoms' lived in peace and happiness, with the occasional family argument.

_**The REAL End**_

_**--------------------**_

And that's the end! ^_^ I know it was short, but if you think about it, it kind of fits perfectly, right? Anyway, thanks again to Leiko for letting me use her character, and thanks to all of my readers! Now, I KNOW there are readers who are either skipping the talking and ignoring the 'review to this story; button. x.x It's so frustrating to think that people don't know just how important it is... -sighs- Ah, well...

I wanted to tell you guys something! I don't remember if I mentioned it before or not, but I'll be posting bonus chapters! So, if you have any questions about the flow of stuff, or anything you want (funny or serious) written about As Red as a Rose, you're going to have to review! So, please review! ^^ I'll post the two bonus chapters, I think, that I have already finished, and will post them sometime between Monday and Sunday of next weekend, since I have school tomorrow. Hell, I might, MIGHT, post them up tomorrow. I'm still stuck on one that will probably make you laugh, but like I said, I'm stuck. x.x

All right, off I go! (Geez, this is longer than the epilogue. x.x Sorry guys!) See you! Glad you enjoyed the story, and hope you're looking forward to the bonus chapters!

**And PLEASE read the story Love Behind Closed Eyes written by Leiko Urameshi, my friend who this story is about. It would be grately appreciated! ^_^ Thanks again!


	21. Bonus Chapter 1

I want to point this out to everyone! **The Bonus Chapters are in no particular order! You put them in their proper order! I'll write them and post them in whatever order they're finished!** Just wanted to let you guys know.

This has been finished for a while now, but, since I started school last week, it's been hectic and have had barely any time on the computer...since I've been falling asleep when I get home. x.x;; So tiring... Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this bonus chapter! You'll know the location as soon as you start reading it. ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, especially Kurama. Nor do I own Leiko. I do own Rose/Nozomi though.

Enjoy!!

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--With Leiko and Nozomi

Reaching out a hand, Leiko helped her best friend to her feet, having thrown away her sword. Nozomi stared at her, confused, still breathing heavily.

"Why? After all of this?"

Leiko shrugged, giving her friend a happy smile. "Because you're my best friend! I wouldn't even dream about killing you!" She gave a small laugh.

Nozomi had tears in her eyes as she hugged her friend tightly. "I'm so sorry, Leiko! But...I had to..."

"I know, me too."

Stepping away from each other, they both smiled at each other. Hearing both of their mates cry out in pain in the background brought them back to reality.

"Oh no!" Nozomi cried, having completely forgotten about the fight momentarily.

"What are we gunna do?! We have to stop this fight!!" Leiko cried, grabbing her head in panic.

"I have an idea, but it'll be tricky...not to mention dangerous..." Nozomi replied, thinking quickly.

"Whatever, just spit it out!!!" Leiko yelled, desperate not to lose Kurama.

"All right, this is what we'll do..."

--Just after Nozomi has given her plan

"Holy crap! Are you sure I can do this?"

"Of course you can, you're Leiko Urameshi, the thick-headed younger sister of Yusuke Urameshi."

"Yeah. thanks... But, this is gunna be hard!"

"Yes, but I know you can do it. Now, remember, when you kill someone's mate, they get horrified, then they unleash a new level of power that will always remain with them. You're going up against it, so you have to keep a level head. Don't go all running in there blindly like your brother does." She paused, watching her friend closely. Leiko appeared to be deep in thought. "What's wrong? Do you have a question?"

Coming back to reality, Leiko stared at her friend. "Yeah...I do have a question..."

"Okay, shoot."

Again, Leiko appeared to be lost in her own thoughts. "You know earlier? When we were trying to kill each other?"

"Yeah..."

"And we were both cutting each other with the swords and stuff?"

"Yeah..."

"That time you were going to cut me in the stomach, but you stopped dead, then changed it to cutting me on my left shoulder... Why?"

Nozomi stared at her friend before smiling softly. "Because you're pregnant, Leiko."

Leiko stopped dead. "WHAT?!"

Nozomi nodded in understanding. "Yes, I know. That's why, throughout the whole fight, I aimed for higher or lower areas instead of your abdomen." She laughed slightly. "I'm surprised you even noticed that! That means you've improved. That's good! Now, you can use some of your brain that works and use it against Youko."

Leiko gave her friend a mild glare. "Hey! I use my brain all the time!"

"Yes, but do you use it for defense?"

"...maybe..." Getting a look from Nozomi, she sighed. "No, not really... I usually just listen to what other peoples tell me to do and how to do it..."

Nozomi shrugged. "Anyway, we'd better get ready for this." She gave her friend a sad smile. "I'll see you later, Leiko."

"See you, Nozomi..."

As they hugged each other, the cries of their mates grew more intensified. Knowing that this was her cue, Leiko gave one last look at her friend before jumping onto the other ship.

--End of Bonus Chapter

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And that's the end of the first bonus chapter. Folks, please send me ideas for these bonus chapters! They could be about whatever you want shown! ANYTHING AT ALL! I already got one, and am planning on working on it sometime...dunno when... First I gotta think on where it's going to go. But...I've already got the beginning of that all thought out. (The only one who sent me an idea knows who I'm talking about.)

So, anyway, keep an open eye for whenever I have the time to post another bonus chapter. Now that school's here, I'll have less time to work on it, but I'll try my hardest not to leave you guys hanging for over a few months! (Or even worse, over a few years. o.o) Hopefully, you'll bear with me! I'm trying!

Thanks again, and don't forget to check out my friend Leiko Urameshi's story 'Love Behind Closed Eyes' and review to it! Oh, and review to this one too! lol See ya!


	22. Bonus Chapter 2

All right, folks! this is another bonus chapter! ^_^ The suggestion came from a faithful reviewer! Kuramasredredrose, this is your suggestion! I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own YYH, especially Kurama. Nor do I own Leiko. I do own Rose/Nozomi, though.

And so...ENJOY!! ^.^

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Leiko walked briskly through the currently deserted halls of her large home. Her determined brown eyes scanned the hall ahead of her, obviously searching for something, or someone. A door opened and Youko walked out, followed by her best friend, Nozomi. She smiled up at her mate, said something, then went back inside the room, closing the door behind her. Standing there for a moment, Youko sighed before turning to walk away in the opposite direction.

Growing frantic, being him that she actually wanted to talk to, Leiko began jogging over to him.

"Youko! Wait up!"

Pausing mid-step in his walk, Youko turned on his heel and glared at her mildly, wondering what she could possibly want.

As she reached him, her heels clicking dully against the polished floor, Leiko let out a heavy sigh of relief that he had actually stopped and looked at her. That alone was a feat, since apparently they hated each other. Supporting herself by leaning against her knees with her arms, Leiko panted somewhat for breath, having run fully the last bit to catch up to him in time.

"And what is it you want _now_, Leiko?" He asked coldly, crossing his arms tightly across his chest, raising an eye brow ever so slightly.

Finally managing to catch her breath, Leiko stood up straight and looked him dead in the eye.

"Could I talk to you privately? This is important."

Blinking, Youko nodded silently, knowing that if something were bothering her and she bothered to come to him first instead of his brother, it must be important.

--A few minutes later

"You want me to do _what_?!" Youko exclaimed, his usually cool and calculated complexion and attitude blown right out of the window.

"I want you to talk to your brother and tell him your sorry." Leiko replied coolly, sitting on a light green colored futon, her back straight and her eyes closed, feeling his rage and shock at the same time.

"I heard you the first time!" He snapped, glaring at her. "What makes you think that I'd bother even speaking to that fool?! I have a hard time wondering how you even fell in love with him!"

Leiko stood up, her hands clenched into tight fists as she glared at him coldly. "Just like I'm having a hard time believing how my best friend, usually a really kind hearted person, could fall for such a pervert like you!" She saw that he was about to interrupt her, but as she finished, the urge fell.

He sighed heavily. "Yes, I keep getting that. Not only do you think that, but many others…"

"Yeah, I wonder why." She snapped crisply, glaring at him, her arms now crossed. "Now, could you please tell him your sorry, and actually have a REAL conversation, not some 'I'm gunna slit your throat' b.s.?"

Youko looked her dead in the eyes and saw the determination his wife and mate had not too long ago when she tried to convince him to do something that he really didn't want to do.

"Why don't you ask Nozomi to do it for me? Wouldn't that be easier?"

Leiko scoffed, her eyes narrowing. "You're kidding, right? Do you really think I'd put my best friend in a situation that's not meant for her? Besides, she came to me for help in trying to get you two thick headed brothers' to make up. This is stupid, and both of us are sick and tired of living in secrets. We barely get to see each other! And when you and your brother are with us, all you do is glare at each other!" As she continued to say this, her voice was rising, now to the point of yelling. "I mean, SERIOUSLY!! What the hell! He's your brother! I have one! He's awesome! You should talk to him more! You never know what info you can share that neither of you thought you would know! Please?" She asked, lowering her voice as she finished her rambling. "I know Rose wants this too. And she'd really appreciate it, especially from you, Youko."

Watching her closely, Youko sighed. "I suppose if it'll make her happy…" He glanced up at her suspiciously. "And where will you and my wife be when all hell is breaking loose?"

Leiko smiled brightly, her eyes closing in the process. "Probably watching from a safe distance, enjoying the mess." (Leiko's expression: ^__^ )

Youko, eying her carefully, sighed heavily once again. "I suppose so…" Fiddling with the edge of his fraying silver colored shirt, he asked in a low voice, "When does my brother return from his business trip?"

"In about 4 hours."

Sighing once again, Youko began making his way to the door. "All right then, I'll be waiting in the main hall. If he goes in through a different door, tell him to go there instead." A small sad smile appeared on his face suddenly. "Let us see how this goes… Although, I must admit, it would be nice not to argue anymore with him…" Without another word, he left the room.

--5 Hours later

There was a heavy silence in the main hall as both brothers stared at each other from opposite sides of the small coffee table. Although it was about the size of a normal round glass table, to the nobles, they're coffee tables. Both stared at each other, the tension between them electric. Their eyes were narrow as they studied the other, both wondering what was running through the other brothers' mind.

Hiding behind a corner, Leiko and Nozomi stood, watching curiously. Turning slightly to her best friend, Leiko couldn't help but give a quiet, irritated grumble.

"Damn it! They've been like that for 30 minutes now! I wanna see some action!" She hissed, making sure her voice didn't echo.

Nozomi sweat dropped, forcing herself to smile. "Give them a break… We kind of forced it upon them anyway… I wouldn't be surprised if they stayed like that for another hour or so…" She replied in a quiet voice. With her naturally quiet voice, she didn't exactly have to strain for it to stay quiet.

Growling silently, Leiko turned back to the two brothers again, growing impatient. As the grandfather clock ticked away the seemingly endless hours, which was only about the next 15 minutes, it caused Leikos' already impatient self to grow even more impatient and feel the deafening silence, broken only by the ticking clock.

Feeling herself shaking with built up irritation now, Leiko let it all out the only way she could.

"GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!!!" She shouted, poking her head out from behind the corner and glaring at them, causing them both to turn to her, surprised.

Nozomi, sweat dropping, calmly stepped out from behind the corner and placed her hands firmly on Leikos' shoulders.

Giving both brothers' an apologetic smile, she said, "Heh, sorry about that. Don't mind us! We were just passing by."

"Cht, yeah right, Rose! You know perfectly well we were eaves-" Nozomi firmly clasped a hand over Leikos' mouth before she could finish that sentence. Laughing somewhat nervously at the brothers' who were still staring at them, both bemusedly and thankfully, she continued. "We'll be going now. See you guys later!" And she managed to drag Leiko back behind the corner, still with her mouth covered tightly.

Walking away for a while, she opened a door in the hallway, and still covering her friends' mouth, removed her shoes and threw them onto the cushions in the room. Removing her hand from Leikos' mouth, she quietly motioned for her shoes. Nodding, Leiko angrily removed her shoes and handed them to her. Doing the same thing, Nozomi quickly closed the door, allowing the sound to travel down the hallway.

"Why the hell did you-?" Once again, Leiko was hushed quietly as she began her whispering tyrant of questions to her friend.

Nozomi had held up a finger for silence, listening intently for any signs of conversation coming from the main hall. Sure enough, there was.

"It would seem as if Leiko and Nozomi really care about this happening…" That was Kurama.

"Yes… I'd hate to displease her, so…" That was Youko.

"You only do things for your mate? No one else?"

"Besides myself and those important to me… No, not really." Youko replied, too coolly.

They heard Kurama sigh. "That…suits you, I suppose…"

"What do you mean it suits me?"

"Well, everyone says that all you care about is women, thieving, and those few around you." A pause. "Am…I anywhere involved?"

Both Leiko and Nozomi listened intently, having resumed their post near the corner to listen more clearly. Both girls looked at each other in shock, surprised beyond belief he had even bothered to ask such a direct question.

"Hmm…" Came the pensive response. Youko eyed his brother carefully. "To be absolutely truthful…" Another pause. "No, not at all."

Nozomi suddenly felt a boiling anger that filled her very being. Her fists suddenly clenched, her eyes suddenly narrowed, and yet she remained where she was, listening further for anything she could use against either of them.

A moment of silence. "I see… So…you really don't care about me…do you?"

A creaking filled the hall, signaling that one of them, probably Youko, had leaned back in his smooth oaken chair.

"Not at all."

Leiko glanced at Nozomi, noticing that she was suddenly trembling. She grabbed her wrist suddenly, shaking her head, warning her not to do it. Nozomi snatched her wrist back roughly, her eyes narrowing even more as she continued to listen.

A soft sigh filled the main hall. "And to think…that perhaps we could stop this silly argument and continue on with our lives in peace…instead of trying to kill each other…"

"Hm. I would love to, but I'm afraid that we're too different."

"AUGH! I CAN'T TAKE IT!" In a flurry of anger, Nozomi stormed out from around the corner, ignoring the shocked expressions. Stalking over straight to Youko, she grabbed the front of his shirt, forcing him to stand.

Even if he was taller than she was, he did appear to be very pale as he faced her. Leiko had come out as well and was standing behind Kuramas' chair, both watching curiously and worriedly.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?! Huh?! You're the one that told me that you loved your younger brother and that all you've been trying to do all his life was to teach him how to take care of himself and that he didn't really need your help to make himself known in this world! What the hell's wrong with you!?" She shouted, glaring coldly at him, her hands clenched tightly.

Youko swallowed dryly, trying his hardest to not back down. It was times like this that he actually kind of feared her anger. Since she also controlled water…that made the situation even worse.

"I…kind of don't have to anymore…now that you've blurted it out…" he replied quietly, regretting it immediately as he saw her eyes flash dangerously.

"Like hell you don't! He's right there!" She pointed at Kurama angrily. "Get your lazy ass in gear and tell him what you really want to tell him! Don't waste anyone's time here! Not even your own! You're too good for that! Now, MOVE IT!"

Sweat dropping, Youko glanced down at his brother and suddenly felt embarrassed. Forcing himself not to blush at the fact that a woman, his mate for that matter, was actually telling him what to do. However, they were both dominant, so they both succumbed to each other from time to time. Apparently, this was one of those times. Swallowing roughly to get his throat at least a little wet, Youko slowly turned to his brother, who stared at him curiously.

Sighing, he said, "Everything that Nozomi has said is true…"

"Tell him what! Don't just say that!" Nozomi cried, smacking him on the back of his head.

Massaging the spot gingerly, he cast her a somewhat hurt filled glance before sighing again and returned his attention back to his brother.

"Fine…" Taking a deep breath, he looked at his brother straight in the eye and said, "As my mate has mentioned before, I did all of those things, the lies, among other things, to get you stronger. If I had done that, I knew you would learn, even if it was the hard way, how to depend on yourself more. Become more of a man on your own. It worked…to some degree. I had foreseen the side effects it would have… Such as us being hated brothers and not wanting to be in each others' presence for an over exposed amount of time." He sighed again.

"But, I never passed the chance in teaching you something new, something that could have been useful for you. It has pained me over the years to see you grow up, and I wasn't there to assist, or teach you first hand…but… I had my own problems to deal with. Such is life, unfortunately."

A small smile appeared on his face, though it appeared to be somewhat sad. "But, you know…I'll tell you the truth… That day, when we claimed each other would die…if it hadn't been for Nozomis' persistence, I would have let you kill me that day… I wouldn't have been able to deal with the guilt if I actually killed my little brother… But, after the whole battle, I found out that Nozomi had saved my life, and she told me her strategy… I was impressed, and very grateful for it. I couldn't stand the thought of killing you, Shuuichi." He smiled at his younger brother. "You are mother's pride and joy, while I'm a delinquent. I couldn't stand you making the same mistakes I did. I tried to teach you, and I'm glad you learned." There was a moments' pause in which everything seemed to be either settling or being gathered. "I hope you can forgive me…" he finally said in a low voice, lowering his head slightly.

Nozomis' anger had subsided, and now she stood, her head also bowed, though in respect. She was glad he actually told the truth. She had been furious that he was lying so coolly, which was the opposite of what he actually wanted to do. She glanced up at Leiko, who shrugged from behind Kurama. Kuramas' facial expression, however, remained hidden in the shadows of his bangs. Glancing at him, Leiko didn't dare to touch him, knowing that he had to do this transition on his own.

Standing up slowly, Kurama faced his brother fully, his expression still shadowed. Youko raised his head, studying the form of his younger brother.

"I…forgive you…" Came Kuramas' soft reply, causing a look of relief to cross Youkos' face. Raising his head so that he could see his older brother clearly, Kurama smiled. "I'm glad you apologized… It must have been hard…"

Leiko popped up at his side, glaring coldly at him. He glanced at her and flinched at her cold eyes.

"Don't you dare think you're going to walk away after he said all that mushy stuff! You'd better say what's on your mind, too!"

Flinching, surprised that he had been caught up in all of this as well, he sighed heavily, knowing that he should have known better. There was no fooling Leiko when it came to serious situations… The other times…she tended to be a bit scatterbrained. Looking back up at his elder brother, Kurama sighed again, then said with a small smile,

"Well…even if you did try and push me away with all you did… I think that…somehow…I managed to get closer to you… I mean, respect wise. After you lied to me by telling me that I was a mistake…" He trailed off, eying his brother carefully. "That _was_ a lie…right?"

"Of course. Nothing mother did was a mistake. Why should you be the first?" Youko replied easily, shrugging lightly.

Nodding in approval, Kurama continued. "Anyway, after you told me that, I got angry with you. I wondered why you left me all on my own. After the first few years, I grew to realize just how important staying alive at sea was. I experienced my first storm at sea, among other things, based off of what you told me, and what fathers' books had. But, it was your information, however scarce it was, that helped me through it all."

"The purpose of actually giving you very little information lay with the fact that I wanted you to improvise and find what was best for you, and how to survive properly while only depending on yourself and your crew. I had to learn it the hard way, so, I wanted to spare you the cruelty of it. I don't think it worked very much, though…"

"No, not really…" Kurama agreed, nodding to himself.

Leiko rolled her eyes as the conversation continued. _'This is getting boring…'_ She glanced at Nozomi and was glad that she looked the same.

Youko wrapped an arm around her slender waist suddenly, drawing her near.

"I'm glad I have you by my side…" He cooed, nuzzling the side of her neck, causing her to blush immensely.

Kurama did the same with Leiko, however gently kissing her cheek repeatedly. "I agree… I wouldn't have been able to do this without your help, Leiko…"

Both girls squirmed to get out of their mates' arms. Managing to do so, they glanced at each other, then at their curious mates.

"I'm going to go check on Komaru." Nozomi said quickly, turning and beginning to walk away.

"Hey! Don't you dare leave me here ALONE!" Leiko called after her, running to catch up.

Both brothers watched their retreating forms, then turned to each other and smiled. It was a warm and friendly, not to mention brotherly, smile; one that they hadn't shared in years.

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Okeechobee! (That's my weird version of saying 'okay'.) That's the end of this Bonus Chapter! Thanks again to Kuramasredredrose for the suggestion! ^^

I know at the end it got a bit...rushed... Like, when it was Kuramas' turn to say everything on his mind... I'll be honest with you guys when I say my mind went completely blank. And I _mean_ **blank**. x.x Twas so frustrating! -_- Anyways, please review!

Oh yeah! And, to answer the question before anyone asks; **Komaru** is Nozomi and Youkos' son, mentioned somewhat in, I think, Part 2 of the final chapter. ^^ Just so you guys know!

**Don't forget to keep the bonus chapters coming! ^^ I don't mind writing them! So please, don't feel bad about it!**


	23. Author's Note: The Tale of Friendship

All right! Sorry people that I haven't been on in a while! I've been busy with school and stuff.....

Anyway, I wanted to let you guys know that, yes I'm alive! : D But, I'm not updating. I just decided to post this Author's Note to let you guys know that my best friend, Leiko Urameshi, on here, has posted her own Bonus Chapter about As Red as a Rose. I wanted to let you guys know that if you wanted to write your own bonus chapter about my fan fic, just let me know first, k? ^^;; Hope that's okay…

So, PLEASE read her bonus chapter _**The Tale of Friendship**_. Hope you like it!! ^^ And thanks again for being so patient!!

Oh! I almost forgot!! ;; I also wanted to let you guys know that I'm busy writing another Bonus Chapter! I've gotten most of it done, but haven't found the time to finish it, yet… And my b-day's coming up, too. So…I'll **try** and have it up before my b-day. Okay? Okay! See you! ^-^


	24. Bonus Chapter 3 Leiko's Wedding

Sorry that it's been a while, you guys! ; No, I didn't forget, I've just been busy with my Senior year in High School, what with all the projects, and work, and other "fun" stuff. ; Anyways, here's another bonus chapter!! I hope this long chapter makes up for the long time I haven't updated!! Again, I'm sorry!!

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Leiko paced nervously around in her large room, her face wrought with anxiety. Glancing briefly at the cherry wood clock seated on top of her wardrobe, she groaned softly before resuming her impatient pacing. A soft knock on her solid oak door brought her out of her slight trance and she rushed over to the door. Still hiding behind the door, she grasped the brass doorknob, but did not open the door.

"Who is it?" She called, trying to keep her nervousness from showing.

"It's Rose." Came a soft reply, though to Leiko it was like the howling wind in a storm at sea.

Quickly opening the door, Leiko grabbed the front of Nozomi's brides' maids' gown and practically dragged her into the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Where the hell have you been?! I've been sitting here, worried sick that my bestest friend in the entire world might not have made it to my own wedding!"

Nozomi forced herself to smile, sweat dropping slightly. She had expected as much. But, it was understandable. On her wedding day, a bride would want everything as perfect as it could get, to the utmost degree.

"Explain yourself!" Leiko demanded, her brows creasing slightly as she mildly glared at her best friend, waiting impatiently for an answer.

Nozomi sighed heavily, then looked up at her friend. "Leiko, you know I had to sneak away from Youko in order to be here… Since they still haven't made up yet, he doesn't want me anywhere near the man! I told him you were my best friend and I _had_ to go, but he just ignored me…" She looked down sadly. "I tried to tell him again, but he ignored it again and changed the topic. I managed to sneak away, but I'm sure he's figured out that I went anyway…" She sighed, then looked up at her best friend, looking at just how beautiful she looked on her wedding day. "But, I have to say, you do look beautiful, Leiko."

Leiko seemed to flinch as she said that and quickly turned and leaned into her vanity. Placing her palms gently on the smooth surface of her vanity, she stared uncertainly at her wedding gown, and at herself.

"You don't think it's a bit much?"

Nozomi walked over, but stayed far enough behind so that Leiko had enough room to move with her medium poofy gown.

"No, not at all." She smiled. "Besides that, you requested to have make-up and jewelry and accessories." She tilted her head slightly to one side, her brows creasing slightly in a look of slight sadness. "Although…I must admit… Your hair's a bit messed up, and you have a bit too much make-up on…"

Leiko looked up at her fearfully, panic flashing over her face. However, Nozomi was quick to reassure.

"Relax, I can handle it." She gave a reassuring smile as she held up a clean plain white cloth. "I'll have you fixed up in no time!"

With that said, she got to work.

--8 minutes later

"There, all finished." Nozomi said, stepping back so that she could look at the over all picture.

Leiko looked absolutely beautiful in her wedding gown. It was a pure white, strapless gown made of pure satin, so that it would be gentle on her sensitive skin. The bodice part of her gown (the corset-like part of the dress) was embroidered in what appeared to be laurel branches with small leaves sprouting from them. The bell of the gown cascaded in gentle waves down over her legs in small folds, creating an elegant look to it. Single laurel branches were scattered randomly about the bell, holding up a few of the folds. Leiko's high heels were hidden under the long bell, but if they were shown, they would be the color of pearls, and have glitter spread evenly over the strap around her ankles and over the bridges of her feet.

Adorning her right wrist was a simple ornate golden bracelet, one that she had received from her brother when she was younger that had her full name written in italics on the broad part of it. Hanging from her neck was a thin diamond necklace, going around her neck and hanging straight down; simple, but elegant. Her earrings were also quite simple; diamond earrings that gleamed in the sun light that seeped into the room. Atop her head was a small silver tiara, placed at the crown of her head, encrusted with diamonds and a few pearls. The veil was attached to the back of it, and cascaded gently down her back, covering the back of the dress.

Nozomi's eyes filled with tears, a small smile on her lips. Leiko noticed and grew worried, wondering what was wrong now.

"W-what's up? You okay, Rose?"

Nodding, Nozomi sniffled and grabbed another white cloth, dabbing her eyes the best she could so as not to ruin her own make-up, she smiled at her friend.

"Leiko…you look beautiful… You really do…"

Blushing, Leiko crossed her arms over her chest and looked away, glaring mildly out the window.

"I do not! I've never really been pretty in my life! Not as pretty as you, anyway."

Nozomi sighed. "Yes, yes…you keep mentioning that… But, I'm kind of over it…"

Leiko glanced at her friend, surprised that she wasn't upset about what she had said.

"Over it? What do you mean?"

Blushing slightly, Nozomi looked down at her folded hands. "Well, Youko helped me… He told me that…every time he caught me saying that I wasn't pretty, or if anyone else told him that they heard me saying it, then he'd show me just how beautiful I truly was…" Her face was burning brightly by now, and Leiko suddenly understood what Youko must have been doing.

"That sick bastard…"

Nozomi said nothing and decided to change the topic. "Anyway, shouldn't we get going to the spot where Yusuke's waiting? They can't start the wedding without the bride, you know."

Leiko suddenly looked really nervous. "Ohhh! I dun wanna go!!!" She cried suddenly, grabbing a random green pillow from her bed and hugging it tightly.

Sighing, and knowing that the pressure was bound to catch up to her eventually, Nozomi went over and gently hugged her friend, careful not to mess anything up.

"C'mon, Leiko. You don't want to keep Kurama waiting, do you?"

Blushing immensely, she slowly lowered the pillow and tossed it onto her bed again with a sigh.

Smiling, Nozomi gently took Leiko's hand and led her to the door. "That's the spirit!"

--3 minutes later

Walking down the highly polished halls of the castle, Leiko and Nozomi conversed as they headed towards the wedding, speaking of nerves raking and who would be there, among other things.

As they were walking, Nozomi suddenly stopped, staring straight ahead, her complexion suddenly pale. Noticing this, Leiko paused, glancing back at her worriedly.

"What's wrong, Rose?" Seeing how her friend refused to respond, she looked back the way they had been going, wondering what could have stopped her. Almost immediately, she saw what, or who, was the cause. Youko stood at the center of the hallway, the half way point between where the two princesses stood and the end of the hallway. His golden eyes were on his mate, and they were narrow, as they usually were. However, they were somewhat soft as he confronted them both.

He was wearing all black, which was surprising since he usually wore all silver or some other light color. A white shirt could be seen just underneath his black suit jacket with gold colored buttons at the cuffs. His right hand rested in his pocket, while the left rested at his side. Sighing, he scratched his head before walking over to the two, keeping his eyes closed for the moment. Once he reached them both, he opened his eyes and looked at his mate.

"I knew you'd pull a stunt like this…"

Leiko stepped in front of her best friend, glaring at him. "You're NOT taking her away! This is my wedding! I want her to be here!"

Studying her expression, Youko sighed once again. "I'm not here to take anyone away; nor to stop you from your goal in marrying my younger brother."

Leiko stopped, staring at him in shock. "T-then…why are you here…?"

"To give you my blessings." He responded, smirking as he saw her blush.

Nozomi stepped forward, smiling shyly up at him. "So… You're not angry?"

He shrugged. "There's no reason why I should be. I knew you'd go anyway, so I decided I may as well go."

Leiko shook her head. "That's fine and all, but why are you _here_? I mean, shouldn't you be in the church, waiting?"

"I wanted to give you something before I went there." Rummaging in his right pocket, Youko soon pulled out two boxes wrapped in gift wrap; the one on top was wrapped in silver, the one on the bottom was wrapped in gold. "It's for you to cherish, considering that we're now going to be family members."

Taking the presents in shaking hands, Leiko noticed that there were two. When she had first seen them, she thought it was one large present. Now that she held them both, she realized that she had been mistaken.

She looked up at him quizzically. "Why are there two…?"

"One is for you, the other for my brother."

Leiko stared, surprised. Knowing that he had shut her up for the time, Youko turned to his mate, his right hand resting idle in his pocket once again. "I'll see you at the wedding, then. My job here is finished."

Nodding, she walked over and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Thanks, Youko."

Nodding, he turned silently and walked down the hall, disappearing around the corner. Turning to her friend, Nozomi smiled.

"Well, shall we go?"

Shaking her head gently, so as not to mess up her hair or anything else for that matter, Leiko returned the smile.

"Yeah, let's go."

--Meanwhile, at the Church

Kurama stood near the altar, completely nervous. His mind was racing, his body trembling from the excitement of the event. The wedding should have been over by now, however, so far, Leiko was a no-show. His thoughts raced with thoughts that she had deserted him, and that she was happy with another man… Inwardly shaking his head, he concentrated on distracting himself. Glancing around the room, the people were murmuring among themselves. Kuwabara's sister sat next to her husband, Sakyo, both talking quietly with small smiles on their faces; towards the back, his old crew sat, murmuring among themselves, trying to act like civilized people while complaining about how they had to dress. Brom sat among them, and gave a small wave of encouragement, seeing the young man on the stage trembling slightly. Nodding in appreciation, Kurama continued to scan the audience, hoping to find something that will keep him distracted.

The door suddenly opened. Turning to see who it was, Kurama's eyes widened in pure shock as he saw his older brother enter and quietly close the door behind him. He glanced at him, flashed a smirk, and took a seat in the seat nearest the door, yet farthest to the back. He crossed his legs, his arms, and smirked at his brother.

'_What are you doing here?'_ Kurama asked with his eyes.

Youko's eyes flashed mysteriously, the smirk still on his face. _'What do you think?'_ Came the silent reply.

Growing even more nervous, Kurama felt a sudden relief when his brother looked to the side, scanning the audience as well, apparently, the smirk gone.

--In the church in another room

"Ohhh! I'm so nervous!" Leiko cried, hugging a pillow tightly as she sat on a lime green chair.

Nozomi sweat dropped. "C'mon, Leiko. We're almost there! All you have to do is gather up your courage, walk down that isle with Yusuke, and _BOOM!_ You're married!"

Leiko shot her a cold glare. "You make it sound to easy! You're not even married yet!"

Nozomi shrugged. "What can I say? I read a lot."

"So do I!"

A knock came from the door. Leiko quickly stood up and ran over to the bathroom. Glancing back, she whispered, "I don't want anyone to see me until I'm ready! Don't let them in unless we know them!"

Nozomi sweat dropped. "Leiko…we know everyone here! They're our closest friends!"

"I don't care! Don't open it unless it's important!" With that said, she entered the bathroom and closed the door, locking it in the process.

Sighing, Nozomi went over to the door and opened it just as the person was about to knock again. It was Yusuke, and he looked both nervous and angry at the same time.

"What the hell!! What's keeping you guys!!" he shouted, barging into the room before she could reply.

Laughing nervously while still sweat dropping, she replied, "We just got here, Yusuke… It's sort of my fault…since I had to kind of sneak away from Youko to get here…"

This caused him to pause and look back at her, confused. "But…he went in not too long ago…"

"Yeah, I know. He met up with us in the hall just before we got here. He gave her presents for both her and Kurama, then said he'd see us at the church."

"Presents?" Yusuke asked incredulously, blinking. "Damn, Rose! You must have whipped him good!"

Nozomi's face burned a bright red as she glared at him. "I didn't do anything! And I don't 'whip' anyone either!"

"No, no! Not literally! I meant that you really….oh, what's the word… It's a big word that starts with a 'D', I think…"

Nozomi sighed heavily, "You mean 'domesticated'?"

"Yeah! That's it!" He started laughing. "You should see the look on your face!"

Glaring at him, she continued. "Anyway, Leiko locked herself in the bathroom and told me that she's not coming out until she's ready…so…"

The door to the bathroom opened and Leiko walked out, smiling brightly. She saw her brother, and walked over to him, although his back was turned to her.

"Ani!"

Turning at the sound of his little sister's voice, Yusuke stopped dead and stared.

"L-Leiko… You look…." He trailed off, not able to find the words that could help describe anything that he was seeing.

"I look what?" She asked, confused.

"……beautiful….." He breathed, then went over to her and hugged her tightly, careful not to ruin anything.

Hugging her brother back tightly, Leiko suddenly felt extremely happy that her brother was here.

Letting go of his sister, he asked softly, "Are you ready?"

After looking deep into her brother's deep chocolate brown eyes, saw the care in them, she took a deep breath and sighed.

"I'm ready."

"Cht, finally…" Nozomi murmured, before grabbing the bouquet she was supposed to carry out as the maid of honor. "I'll see you guys later, then. I'd better tell the others that we're about to start. Good luck!" And she left, closing the door quietly behind her.

--10 minutes later

A servant quickly slipped into the room and ran over to the maestro, whispered something to the relaxing man, and left the room just as quickly. The maestro, after checking his watch and shrugging, made a motion to his relaxing band, and they began getting ready. Kurama's heart skipped a beat, and felt as if it were wedged in his throat. Was it finally about to happen? Was he about to see Leiko again? They had barely had a chance to speak very much over the past few days, and he truly missed her. He suddenly felt reassured that this was the right choice, and his nerves calmed down, leaving him feeling very confident and happy about what was about to happen. The band began playing a soft and soothing song, and the doors to the main church opened wide, signaling for the occupants to stand.

The wedding they, Leiko and Kurama, had designed was a small one. One that didn't include a lot of people, just the ones that they knew well and that they trusted; the band was hand picked, and also good friends of theirs; Nozomi had helped with the decorations, and everyone seemed to like it.

Yukina, the flower girl, entered slowly, dropping the bright red petals of a rose behind her, a light blush on her cheeks as she saw everyone watching her. Willing herself not to mess up, she finished her trek and took a seat in one of the front rows near her older brother Hiei. Kuwabara, the ring bearer, was now about half way through the isle, holding the rings that they had both chosen for one another aloof on a square scarlet colored pillow rimmed with golden thread. He made his way over to the far left, on Kurama's side, holding the rings on the pillow around his abdomen area. He flashed a smile at Kurama, who smiled back and returned his gaze to who was now walking down the isle. It was Nozomi, who was wearing a light blue strapless dress with small clear crystalline gems clinging to it at the bottom, giving the impression that they were trapped icicles attached to it. She held her head up high, although one could clearly see that she was completely nervous and embarrassed to be up in front of so many people by herself. Finally reaching the area near the altar, she gave a nod to the priest of the land, Koenma, who was also a good friend of theirs, and took a stand near the area where Leiko herself would soon stand. She cast Kurama a smile, seeing him confident, yet with a hint of nervousness. He gave a slight nod, grateful for her being here, and now knowing why his older brother was here. Or, at least part of it.

Just then, the band changed its tune and began playing a slightly faster version of the song they had been playing. (No, it's not the traditional wedding song. I listened to it, and it made ME feel nervous, as if I were getting married. x.x No way was I gunna put that for my best friend… Ah, well. She can change it whenever she really gets married. : D) Everyone turned to the open doors, waiting and watching. Kurama held his breath, daring himself not to shut his eyes.

From around the corner, holding lightly to her brothers' forearm, came Leiko, in all her beautiful glory. Kurama stared, seeing just how beautiful she truly was. Even on her worst days, she appeared beautiful to him, but this had to be the best he had ever seen her, and he wasn't going to deny it. Smiling, his eyes were soft as he watched the siblings make their way up the isle, closer and closer to him. Leiko smiled shyly up at him, blushing under the make-up. The audience was making hushed comments on different things, but Kurama found that he suddenly didn't care. All he cared about, at this moment, was that he loved Leiko with all his being. His very core wouldn't be whole if she weren't there.

Reaching the base of the stairs that led up to the altar, Yusuke held Leiko's left hand as she walked forward, reaching out with her right hand to Kurama. Smiling softly, Kurama gently took her right hand, and Yusuke felt a sudden rush of sadness as he felt his younger sisters' hand leaving his. Still, he held it in, smiling up at his smiling and clearly happy sister.

Turning, both Leiko and Kurama walked forward until they were directly in front of Koenma, Yusuke having gone off to the side to be the best man.

Glancing between the two, a smile on his face, Koenma addressed them and the entire church. Seeing how the bride was up at the altar, everyone took their seats, waiting in hushed silence for the big moment.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union between this man, and this woman. If there are any present who oppose this union, please speak now, or forever hold your peace."

His voice echoed throughout the entire church, and soon died away into a silent echo, leaving the church deathly silent. Seeing how no one was going to say anything, Koenma gave an approving nod before continuing.

"Seeing how everyone has waited long enough, I'll skip a few parts." He said, winking at the two love birds before him. "Kurama, will you take this woman, love her, comfort her, honor her, and keep her in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, so long as you both shall live?"

"I will." Kurama replied, feeling very confident about that. He wanted nothing else but to make her happy.

Koenma nodded and turned his attention to Leiko. "Leiko, will you take this man, love him, comfort him, honor him, and keep him in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others so long as you both shall live?"

"I will." She replied confidently, nodding slightly in the process.

"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

"I do." Yusuke said, feeling another large wave of sadness wash over him in a deafening roar.

Koenma nodded once again. "Kurama, repeat after me; I, Kurama, take thee, Leiko, to be my wedded Wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part."

(Kurama repeats it. x.x; I don't want to write it again…)

Turning to Leiko, he said, "Leiko, repeat after me; I, Leiko, take thee, Kurama, to be my wedded Husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part."

(Leiko repeats it too. x.x; Again, too lazy to write it…)

Glancing at Kuwabara, Koenma beckoned him forward, bringing the rings with him. Taking a spot near the priest, Kuwabara held the pillow forward, bowing his head in respect.

Taking the smaller of the two rings, Koenma held it before him and said, "Bless, O Kami, this Ring, that he who gives it and she who wears it may abide in thy peace, and continue in they favor, unto their life's end; through Kami. Amen." Looking at Kurama, he said, "Repeat after me; With this ring, I thee wed."

Turning to Leiko, blushing slightly, he slipped it onto her ring finger. "With this ring…I thee wed."

Leiko blushed now, knowing that this whole thing was finally coming to a close. She glanced at Koenma, who had just said the same thing to her ring, and was now doing it to Kuramas' ring. Handing her the ring, he nodded.

"Leiko, repeat after me; With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed." She repeated, slipping the ring onto his ring finger, blushing madly as she did so.

Both turned back to Koenma, both blushing, both happy.

"With the power vested in me, I now pronounce you Husband and Wife." He turned to Kurama with a smile. "You may now kiss the bride."

Turning back to one another, both blushing, Kurama wrapped his arms around her waist while she wrapped her arms around his neck. Their lips touched, and the whole church erupted in cheers and applause.

-----

I know it kind of cuts off in the end, and I'm sorry about that. I just didn't know how to wrap it up, so to speak. I was kind of brain dead at that point. Sorry. ; Anyways, I believe that I'm done with the bonus chapters... Oh no, wait! I have one more that I need to finish writing! Who knows? Since this is Spring Break, it may be up later on this week. But, no promises. I'll try, though! You can count on that!!

Oh, and I thought I'd let you know something! My best friend, who ARAAR was written for, has started a new fan fiction. It's called Project Rose. So far it's going really good, and I hope that you enjoy it, if you decide to read it. Best of luck to you all! ^-^


	25. To my Readers

Hello once again, everyone! I know, I know, it's been FOREVER! And I'm sorry... I went through a very dark and depressing time in my life that I'm just now getting out of...

If you recall, I believe I mentioned something about a continuation, or a mirror story for As Red as a Rose? Well. I am pleased to announce that I have [finally] uploaded its continuation! It is known as As Blue as the Sky, and I wanted everyone to know that! I hope you are all not mad at me, and if you are, I hope you can forgive me... It was careless and irresponsible of me to shut myself away from the world...but I couldn't find a better way to cope... However, I have changed and matured since the last time I was on here, which was a few years ago... So, don't worry about me. I'm fine now, and hoping for a fresh new start! Feel free to join me! ^^

I look forward to your reviews and comments, if you are interested in this new story.

With love,

Nozomi Kajuji~


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